Ligthouse
by believeitornotimamom
Summary: An extended version of the episode The Last Resort. What happened between Jay and Nya while they were hiding at the Lighthouse? What made her change her mind? Sticking to cannon, yes kisses- I'm so terrible I keep breaking my own rules- but still mostly platonic, fluffy interactions. Any kisses will only be memories. Rated T only as precaution.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi all,**

 **I've been gone for centuries and I'm not sure I'm back, but this fic was hunting my dreams begging to be written.** **  
It's just a longer version of the episode "the last resort". When they find Echo Zane, Jay says "we've been locked in here for so long you are beginning to hear things, and obviously somehow Nya went from "we are friend and that's all we're ever going to be" to " You are the only one I've ever let into my heart"**

 **This is not a lemon, or a lime or anything of that sort. It's rated T just to be safe- I can get intense sometimes. It will be based on cannon.  
Credit needs to go to Master of Cupcakes who already did something similar- I requested it and she did such a lovely job that she inspired me to write my own version. **

**And I don't own Ninjago which is obvious. If I did, the whole Cole and Nya train wreck would have never happened.**

 **"Cheers!**

"I'm not rowing" she said with fake innocence as the force of the water propelled him forwards. He used his hands to stop himself from collapsing into her body but he still ended miserably closer to her than he intended. Way too close.

Since they had left the police station a few hours ago, he had been telling himself that he would not cause her to mistrust him. He was a gentleman and he knew that Nya just needed a teammate, a partner, a protector - not that she would ever admit to that- and nothing more. And yet, being so close to her, Jay couldn't help but indulge in the spark on those olive eyes, in staring at the sumptuous lips curling into that confident smile that never failed to get to him. His mind took him back to those afternoons on the Destiny's Bounty when they would work on new mecs and inventions together. She always had that same intensity, that confidence that she would succeed and he suspected that she didn't need his clumsy help at all, she just unexplainably enjoyed his company. He would always somehow get grease on his face, and she would always stare right into his eyes, run her soft fingers on his messy hair and wipe off his cheek before pecking his lips- making him loose all control over his body. He was sure he had accidentally shocked her a few times, not that she ever complained...

Before he knew it, the old wood from the boat scratched the sand and he found himself on land. He quickly got to his feet, praying that the expression on his face hadn't given away his thoughts and feeling a bit dumb for not letting her help sooner. His whole body was shaking but he convinced himself it was from the exhaustion of rowing and not from his earlier proximity to her. _Darn it, Jay! You are such a bad liar you can't even fool yourself!_

The lighthouse stood imposing in front of them and as he looked in the direction of the endless stairs leading to the entrance, completely out of instinct, he offered his hand to help her out of the boat and thanked his lucky stars that the flight of the seagulls captured her attention and she did not notice. The last thing he wanted was to make her feel like a damsel in distress. The last thing he wanted was for her to turn on him again.

They began the climb upstairs and, to Nya's concern, the master of lightning quickly fell behind... and he was quiet. She instinctively knew that something was wrong, because her ex- boyfriend was always hard to keep up with. And he was _never_ quiet. Carefully, she looked at him over her shoulder and noticed the limp on his right leg, probably where the Vengestone chain had been for days. He had spared her the details of his days at the Misfortune's Keep, for now, but he couldn't hide his injuries and it wasn't at all hard to connect the pieces: Nadakhan had definitely tortured Jay to force him to make his third wish. The thought alone felt like a dagger through her chest and unconsciously her hand moved there in an attempt to stop the pain. She pushed away the memories of how she treated him back in Tiger Widow's island and the thought of how close they would have been to loosing him too. She didn't know if she would have been strong enough to stand up to Nadakhan for as long as Jay did but she always knew the Master of Lighting was stronger than he dared to believe. She had seen the fire in his eyes whenever someone he loved was in danger and that fire, that strength was one of the many reasons why she once loved...

With an audible sight, the Water Ninja slowed her pace down, allowing the blue one to catch up.

"Can I have a turn with the bag? I haven't done any training for the last few days" she said, trying to sound casual.

"Nope, I'm OK... just... admiring the view" he lied containing the urge to rub his aching ribs, hoping she couldn't hear the strain in his voice. She could.

"C'mon Jay! Please let me help!" she sounded edgier than she intended but she knew he was hurting.

"A gentleman wouldn't let a..." he started.

"...wouldn't let a lady carry the bag, I know" she interrupted him, thick annoyance on her voice. But before she could get too angry at him, he looked into her eyes for a moment and then returned his gaze to the stone steps. And what she saw on his eyes was a broken man trying to convince _himself_ that he was strong enough.

"I guess I'll have to let you off the hook; this really is Ed and Edna's doing" she hoped mentioning his parents would get her a smile and a casual chat but his expression remained carefully neutral and he didn't speak. She sighted again and stopped walking causing Jay to stop as well.

"You are right, the view from up here is amazing!" She tried, looking at the horizon with him for a few minutes until he started walking up the stairs again without saying a word. He knew she was up to him and he didn't want her to know how weak he really was. He was supposed to be there to protect her, not the other way around.

As he walked, he could feel his heart beating in his ears. Jay was in pain. He hadn't had a proper meal for days, he was week and it felt like every inch of his body was screaming from the heat, from the effort it took to climb those darn stairs, from the even bigger effort to conceal his discomfort from Nya. And to top it all up, his mind suddenly decided to remind him in detail how he got those cuts and bruises, why his body was so sore.

She noticed his careful façade crumbling and thought of sparking her dragon to get them both to the top, but she knew that it would draw too much attention so she settled for wrapping her arm around his instead.

"We're almost there" she said encouraging and he gifted her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. He didn't want her to be worried about him.

"You know, I'm kinda waiting for you to freak out on me..." she smiled back.

 _Oh, I'm freaking out alright!_ he thought.

"Why would I freak out? I'm with you" he regretted the words as soon as they left his lips. _Great work, Jay. Way to not make her feel uncomfortable!_ "Hehe, I mean..." he added scratching the back of his head "you're the smartest ninja after Zane, I'm sure together we'll think of something.

The master of water smiled knowingly. It was alright, if she was being honest, she was also glad that she was with him. He had this ability to make her feel safe, maybe because he always had her back... she was the one who always turned her back on him…

"I'm sorry" she almost whispered.

"What for?"

"Back on Tiger Widow's Island. I _was_ too hard on you..." she looked at him, and back at the big wooden door a few meters ahead of them.

"I... I deserved that" he said eyes fixed on the ground.

"You didn't. And for what is worth, I was really worried, uh, _we_ were really worried about you... you should've seen Cole and I doing Jay impressions..."

She was relieved to hear a soft laugh from him and she found herself laughing as well.

"Now you need to show me..." he added, with a real lopsided grin.

"This is no time for jokes!" she started in a high pitched voice. "We are alone in the middle of nowhere, chased by evil pirates who have taken all our friends and now we are supposed to stop them all on our own!"

"Not bad... " he chuckled.

"Cole's was much better!" she laughed. She was so relieved to see him acting like himself again, she didn't even realised they had finally reached the top of the stairs.

"We are here..." the master of lighting's tone suddenly changed as he slowly opened the big wooden door.

"What? No ladies first?" she asked.

"I thought you were over the whole gentleman thing" he said, stepping inside and closing the door behind him. He made sure they were alone before letting her in.

She sighted and followed him inside. He was pale as ghost, weak and injured and he would still be overprotective. Now she remembered why she had dumped him on the first place...


	2. Chapter 2

**26 Mar**

 **I changed this slightly on the fist kiss memory to reflect that it wasn't really Nya's first kiss. I totally forgot about Double Trouble :)**

 **I also wrote "their now intertwined fingers" (face palm) Legos don't have fingers**

* * *

 **Hi all,**

 **Here's the next part. Just letting you know that I'm unconventional and I just make up this fics as I go, I have zero plan. It means that if you shoot me a PM or leave a review with things you liked or didn't and things you would like to see I could definitely incorporate your ideas and feedback and we could actually go on this crazy ride together.**

 **Thanks for reading**

* * *

The lighthouse was exactly as Nya remembered it. The entrance door lead to the basement, a cold, empty room with stone walls and no windows. There were scattered boxes around, probably full of scrap and spare parts for doctor Julien's inventions. It was hard to be there without remembering their friend, Zane. Jay couldn't help but thinking that maybe things would have been different had he told them about the wishes on the first place. Unaware that the Master of Ice had figured out his secret and tried and failed to beat the Djinn at his own game, the blue ninja blamed himself for his friend's disappearance...

A long flight of stairs led them to the living area. Jay tried to keep his tone casual to hide his feelings.

"Uh, Actually it'a a nice little resort" said the master of lightning breaking the silence. "Vacant for years, yet not a sing of dust"

Jay carelessly put the bag down on the table scattering its contents. The sound of an alarm startled both ninja as a small door opened to reveal a rusted robot with shinny blue eyes, Gizmo, who immediately busied itself cleaning up the mess.. Nya and Jay remembered it serving them tea the first time they visited the lighthouse.

"Oh, I forgot Zane's father liked his toys. Let's see what kind of supplies we have" she said, relieved.

Her companion opened the bag again and proceeded to remove items one by one. "Enough food for a week, change of clothes, the vial of poison Nadakhan doesn't know we have, and finally on teapot of traveller's tea, but only just in case all else fails!"

"You wanna go over the plan again?" asked the Water Ninja. Pretending that they knew what to do gave her some sense of security.

"OK" He obliged although he didn't feel all that confident "if Nadakahn shows up, we shoot him with the poison then, when he can't use his magic I say my last wish and save Ninjago!... hehe... a wish Lloyd told me is said from my heart, a heart that has no clue what it could be but if said incorrectly could likely make everything 10 times worse!"

"You'll think of it, you always do. Let's get settled in. We could use the peace and quiet to think, all we can do now is hope that the police can find Nadakhan before Nadakhan finds us." She hesitated for a moment, unsure how to continue. She was trying not to be angry at him after all he'd been through but she knew he would refuse her next request "I'll make some breakfast... how about you go and rest that leg for a while?"

"I'm not tired" he said, but the stark contrast of the dark circles under his eyes against his paler than usual skin gave him away.

The girl turned away from him, her right foot hitting the floor harder than was necessary. " I thought we were past this...You... pretending to be something you are not, lying... I thought you would know you can be yourself around me by now"

"Nya... I..." he tried to find the right words to explain what he felt. Yes he was exhausted but he was terrified to leave her, not only because he didn't want Nadakhan to put his disgusting hands on her, or because if the Pirate Djinn did manage to marry Nya he would be unstoppable, but because he needed her probably more than she needed him.

Jay was scared, more than he had ever been before and that was really a lot to say. He was scared that she would never forgive him for lying to his friends and making things ten times worse; scared that he may loose Nya forever; scared of the vivid images of Scrap 'n Tap that refused to go away, scared that Nadakhan was right about him being a fake and scared that maybe they finally met an adversary they couldn't defeat. If the strongest team members had been captured... how were him and Nya alone supposed to defeat the Pirate Djinn?

"It hurts. Every time you lie to me I feel betrayed. How am I supposed to trust you if you don't trust me? We are supposed to be a team..." she continued, her head down, eyes fixed on the wood floorboards.

"Nya, I'm... scared" he was trying to say anything but that yet his tired mind just wasn't fast enough. He sighted in defeat and decided to let it all out. "I have no idea how we are going to do this. What if he wins? What if he takes you and marries you and becomes unstoppable?" _What if he hurts you?_ He didn't even dare to say that last part out loud.

Her expression softened as she turned around, walked towards him and squeezed his shoulder. It was his turn to turn his back on her now.

"It's ok to be scared. I too have my doubts but I trust _us_. We are together and we make the _best_ team there is; there's no way that we'll let him win... and... I also know that you would never let Nadakhan take me." He turned around to see her face and noticed the pink tint on her cheeks. "You heard Lloyd, your wish is the key, we just need a plan. And we need to be strong. Get some rest, I'll hold the fort."

She gave him a dimpled smile and his mind went numb; it was just impossible to argue with that.

"Yes, m'am" said the defeated blue ninja, adding a military salute for drama before turning on his heels and heading toward the tiny bedroom.

"Jay..." she said hesitant, stoping him on his tracks. "Thank you, for being honest..."

"You said it, we are a team." he replied without turning around. They were much more than a team but it wasn't the time to have that conversation.

"You never have to fake with me...I've... always liked you better when you are you." she added.

And with that, the Master of Lightning's heart was full again, almost like that day at Megamonster Amusement Park when he saved her from the derailing roller coaster by using his Full Potential. She was right, he promised he would protect her and he would. He was an experienced ninja, the first one of the team to learn Spinjutzu, the second one to achieve his Full Potential and the one who stood up to Nadakhan for three full days. And there was no way anyone was hurting his Nya...

Dreams of raven hair and dimples replaced the memories of Scrap 'n Tap and as soon as his head touched the surprisingly clean pillow- or unsurprisingly when one considered Gizmo- he fell under a deep, dreamless sleep.

It was almost dinner time when the water ninja decided that his friend should wake up and have something to eat. She got the orange and vanilla cake she was baking for him out of the oven, hoping the smell alone would wake him. But it seemed that he was too tired, even for cake, so she gingerly walked towards the bedroom to discover that he had left the door open. She wanted to be angry at him, but found herself smiling instead. Nya would never admit it, not even to herself, but she too was scared, and it was comforting knowing that he would keep her safe no matter what.

As soon as she entered the room she noticed that the Lightning Master wasn't having a peaceful sleep. Small sweat drops were scattered on his forehead and he was nudging his head and whispering. "Nya... wish it all away... I won't..."

The water ninja got closer to the bed and noticed the worried look on Jay's face. She had heard many times not to wake a person having a nightmare but she couldn't just leave him, she had to do something. Mainly out of instinct, she sat at the edge of the bed and ran her fingers through his messy hair in an attempt to comfort him. As soon as she did, he rolled over and placed his head on her lap, wrapping both arms around her. "Nya..." he whispered again, obviously still asleep. But his peaceful face told her that he was now having a pleasant dream.

She could have, should have awaken him straight away but it had been so long since they were so close, she had almost forgotten how it felt. Almost...

She remembered one afternoon, shortly after the final battle. Jay had planned an amazing date for them. They were going to a small town on the outskirts of Ninjago City, where once a year the locals released lanterns by the river to honour their loved ones. Her boyfriend had suggested to walk to the festival, because the forrest was beautiful that time of the year; but of course, Jay being Jay, they got lost.

After hours of walking in the middle of nowhere- and him promising that he knew exactly were they were- and just when Nya was about to call Kai for help, they found the most beautiful cherry blossom in full bloom. The view was so spectacular, it was almost better than the festival itself: a carpet of light pink flowers surrounded the thick, uneven trunk, and every single branch was showered in blossoms. The sun caressed every petal, creating a soft, pink aura around the tree and the soft breeze made each petal dance.

She ran her fingers through the old tree bark, so strong it reminded her of an animal, the grooves resembling strong muscles.

They eventually sat down, Nya resting her back on the tree trunk, Jay's head on her lap, her fingers running through his soft, reddish brown hair. And maybe it was the energy emanating from the tree, or the fact the they were completely alone for the first time ever, but her lightning bolt talked to her, _really_ talked to her that time. No faking, no lies, only the real him. The Master of Lightning confessed that he didn't get the scar on his eyebrow saving a baby from the Skeleton Army, but tripping over at the Junkyard when he was a toddler; he shared that sometimes the other boys made him feel insecure and he wondered if he was really valuable to the team, that he wondered how they could be so brave if he was always so afraid. He told her about that time he embarrasses himself in front of a girl he thought he was in love with...

"Nya.." He said, sitting up to look at her. "When you were taken... I... w-was so worried." He stuttered. "And when when Lloyd was injured and we were stuck in Dark Island... I wasn't... I wasn't afraid of darkness taking over Ninjago... I was afraid of ... never seeing you again... " he took a deep breath, obviously gaining strength for his next move.

Clumsily he closed the gap between them, probably harder than he expected. Their lips and noses collided in a painful way.

"Sorry" he said, breaking apart the worse fist kiss in history and rubbing his nose. He looked down at the ground, red cheeks giving away his embarrassment.

She cupped his chin in her hand and lifted up his face, forcing him to look at her, getting lost in his bright blue eyes filled with so many emotions. Her encouraging smile must have restored his confidence, because he placed a hand on her cheek and when she closed her eyes, she felt his soft, warm lips on hers. It started shy and slow and as their lips danced together Nya lost herself in the feeling that she was exactly where she was supposed to be. His confidence quickly grew, and the hand that was on her cheek found its way to her waist, whilst his other hand moved to the small of her back, pulling her closer. It was definitely different to the kiss she tried not to think about- lest she be disappointed by the real thing- back when an evil version of the lightning boy swept her off her feet and ravaged her lips; but in many ways this kiss was even better. She was slightly relieved that he didn't have his powers because as it was, there was electricity going through her body and she was sure he would have given her a shock.

The Samurai X was floating on a cloud when the blue ninja pecked her lips as he slowly pulled away.

"Ooh...wow!" he whispered, his nose against her cheek.

Nya giggled. She didn't even know she could giggle; but then again, she didn't know the butterflies in her stomach could do Spinjitzu.

He pulled away to look into her eyes again. "What I was trying to say earlier... I think... hehe... _I know_..." he scratched the back of his head and fixed his eyes on their hands before taking another big breath. "I love you."

She froze in place for a moment. She loved him too, she knew that much. One look at his bright eyes and blue became her favourite color; and of course there was the second time she saw him, when Kai came back home from fighting the Skeleton Army in the Underworld. She saw the dragons through her window and ran straight into her brothers arms. The blue ninja got down from his dragon and jokingly said " _My turn"_ and she found herself running to him, holding him tight, unable to shake the feeling that she had missed him, that he too had just come back home.

And yet, that day under the cherry blossom, she couldn't tell him that she loved him. She saw his worried eyes and kissed him again, hoping that his warm touch would get rid of that feeling at the pit of her stomach... but it didn't.

* * *

"Jay" called present Nya, that same feeling on her stomach making a comeback. "Jay, wake up, you should eat something"

"Nya..." he started, disoriented before his mind registered where his head was, what his arms were doing and his current relationship status. "I'm so sorry" he said sitting up too quickly, making himself dizzy.

"It's ok, it was my fault really, you were asleep" she smiled reassuringly.

A loud rumble courtesy of his stomach reminded him how hungry he was was. "Is that cake I smell?"

"Your favourite" she replied.


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, this one is really long I got carried away. Thanks to MasterofCupcakes for her support and reviews.**

 **26/03- slightly modified this chapter. I realised that on the last paragraph Jay said "I wish" and it didn't make sense.**

* * *

"Wow, Nya! Thanks! This food would give Zane a run for his money!" Jay said, as he grabbed his third bowl.

"Hahaha, I'll take the compliment but I suspect that it only tastes good to you because you were literally starving" she replied with a smile.

"Nope… mmm… I'm telling… mmm…you, this is delicious" he added, a mouthful of noodles in his mouth, causing her to laugh softly.

They finished the meal in silence, Jay focused on eating enough food to feed a small army and Nya focused on the blue ninja and the cute noises he was making as he eat. Her heart sank a little at the sight: he looked like he hadn't eaten in three days and that was probably painfully accurate. She had failed him by letting him get captured. Cole and Lloyd were right, they should have sparked their dragons and stop the pirates from taking the lightning boy, but s _he_ was overconfident and assumed they had won when Nadakhan emptied the wrong canteen.

Did the blue ninja know how worried she'd been when he was at the Misfortune's Keep? Did he think of her on those cold nights, locked up in a cell? She had somewhat known that her lightning bolt wouldn't give up his last wish so easily. He had already encountered the Djinn before and somehow resisted the temptation... and that was what scared her the most. She had nightmares of Nadakhan hitting him to death to force him to make his last wish... but she wouldn't share this with Jay. They were only friends, she didn't want him to get the wrong idea. Friends... she was sure she had buried her feelings for him a long time ago. If she had loved him, if she had really loved him, she would have been able to tell him, she would have never listened to the stupid machine that said that Cole was her perfect match... besides, Jay's vision at the first Spinjitzu's Master tomb probably meant nothing, just a wish from his heart. They were just friends, she wasn't lying when she told him that was all they were ever going to be.

"Ready for cake?" She asked when she thought he was finished.

"I'm always ready for cake" he grinned.

He watched her cut the cake and she couldn't help but smile. He looked just like a kid on his birthday! But as soon as he put the first bite in his mouth he was confused.

"You don't like it?" She asked disappointed. Granted she had asked him to be honest with her but he could have at least been polite about it.

"No, it's delicious... it's just... this is my mum's cake" he said, his fork pointing at his plate, his eyes lost in thought.

She remembered what he said back in Tiger Widow's Island about finding out he was adopted and she regretted ignoring it then, but she had just been so angry that they had had lost Zane because of his stupidity. A part of her wanted to believe that it was another one of his lies to get himself out of trouble; there was no way Ed and Edna weren't his parents. But judging by his expression, it definitely wasn't a lie. Nya reached out to comfort her blue boy, but before her hand touched his, he looked back at her.

"How did you get my mum's recipe? I didn't know you still talk?" He said trying to sound casual. He knew that she knew what he was thinking about but he was determined to get her to stop worrying about him.

"Just because I hate the son doesn't mean I can't love the mother. Your parents are delightful and I usually get parts from the junkyard for my mecs... what?" She saw him smile genuinely and felt totally confused.

"Nothing" he was positively beaming "so... you _hate_ me?"

"Let's say you've been growing on me lately." She added even more confused, why would he be happy that she hated him?

"But until, let's say, a week ago, you hated me..." he continued, eyes bright as lightning.

"Yes..." she said doubtful. "I'm sorry but you were really annoying and I was so angry about the whole Darreth seeing me as the _girl_ ninja who should teach girls how to do make up, and you treating me as if I belonged to you..."

" _With_ me, as if you belonged with me" he corrected her.

"Whatever..." she rolled her eyes.

"So, since when exactly have you hated me?" He insisted, obviously enjoying himself. He rested his elbow on the table and his face on his fist and wore a smile bright enough to light the whole of Ninjago.

Her brain was frantically trying to find out why he kept smiling. She knew he was playing her, she just couldn't quite work out what he was up to. It didn't help that he kept smiling at her in that dorky, 'I don't even know how cute I am, I don't even realize that your knees have turned to jelly' sort of way…

"I don't know, maybe since we broke up, I..." the answer hit her suddenly. "Wait! That's definitely not what's going on!"

"Keep telling yourself that... I'll be in the shower. Too bad our new friend is already cleaning up" he was looking at Gizmo pick up every single crumb from the table. "surely you would've hated me some more if I had left you with the dirty dishes" he added as he walked away leaving behind a fuming water ninja.

* * *

They went to the movies for Jay's birthday, a few months after their date under the cherry blossom. Nya let him choose the movie and obviously the birthday boy had blindly picked whatever Fritz Donnegan flick was playing. But this particular movie wasn't a space adventure, it was a really mature drama about a man who was on death row for killing his wife. Not exactly their idea of entertainment! On the way back to Destiny's Bounty, they stopped for ice cream at Jay's favorite place: Renatto's Gelato, in an attempt to rescue the evening. His girlfriend orders chocolate and raspberries and he got his usual espresso ice cream, which only made her laugh because he had so much energy, he was the last person to need caffeine. After she paid for the gelato- it was his birthday gift- they sat on a small table in the corner.

"I just don't understand. I mean, I know she cheated on him and all, but how could you kill someone you love? How can one love someone and then hate them?" The blue ninja was visibly affected and he had been going on and on about the movie on the way to the gelateria.

"I don't know, Jay. It does happen more often than we think. I sometimes wonder if hate is a real feeling or just fear in disguise" she replied.

His face looked as if she had spoken in Ancient Greek. She let out a soft laugh.

"I think you can only ever truly hate the people that you love. Only they have power to really hurt you. I think when you are afraid of the pain is when you would really hate somebody" she explained.

"So, what you are saying is that you can only truly hate someone when you really love them... because of fear of getting hurt?" He asked and she nodded. "That... actually makes kinda sense" he smiled at her "Beautiful, smart, what did ever do to deserve you?"

"You just got lucky" she smiled back, her thumb wiping away ice cream from his cheek. He unconsciously leaned into her touch "just, please don't ever make me hate you."

"Yes, m'am!" he replied, closing the gap between them.

But right before their lips met, they heard an angry Renato yell.

"Hey, lovebirds! This is a family establishment. Knock it off!" said a raspy voice with a thick Italian accent. "what is it with that table at the corner?"

Nya laughed out loud and Jay couldn't help but briefly kiss her smile- they got thrown out of the place, but it was totally worth it: she tasted of chocolate and raspberry ice cream... and Nya. She had nothing to worry about, he was planning on loving her forever...

* * *

Nya walked downstairs to the basement, with Gizmo following close behind, as if he could tell by her mood that whatever she was up to would be messy.

She just needed something to do so she could stop thinking about Jay and his shenanigans. The water ninja was mostly annoyed at herself because she knew he was up to something and she let him play her. So, to distract herself she started unpacking the boxes, checking for supplies they could use. She knew very well there were too many pirates for her and the blue ninja alone to fight, but if they set up a security system around the lighthouse, it could buy them enough time. Gizmo followed her closely, carefully collecting every part she placed on the floor.

But somehow, the boxes didn't distract her as much as she thought they would.

The ninja was so annoyed at him for tricking her like that. It was obviously just a figure of speech. And that knucklehead just found the perfect excuse to run away from her and not talk about his parents... Off course she really didn't hate him! She just found everything he did so annoying, like the constant standing up for her as if she was unable to stand up for herself; or staying back to help her when the rest of the team left her behind, instead of giving her space to learn how to be a ninja. Did he think that he cared for her more than Kai did? Her big brother who was in many ways almost a father to her? Of course not! But the fire ninja knew better. Her brother knew that she needed to learn on her own, by making her own mistakes. And what was it with the whole offering his hand out to her all the time? As if her taking his hand was some symbolic gesture that would keep them together forever? She didn't care about a stupid vision on a tomb, _she_ was the master of her own destiny and she wasn't about to take his hand and become an extension of him. She wanted to be her own ninja, since apparently, she wasn't allowed to be Samurai X anymore… and Jay was just so... overwhelming.

Nya heard the other ninja turn off the water and decide to check a couple of more boxes before going upstairs and taking a shower herself. She was unconsciously trying to avoid him because she had no patience to deal with him then.

A tiny part of her wished things were different... but they weren't. And whatever it was she felt for him was long gone. She was mostly just angry at him all the time.

* * *

The lighting master let the water cool his aching body. Some of the deeper cuts were burning, but he wanted to wash up any remaining of the ship's grime off his body. He didn't have time to waste lingering on his feelings about the last three days. He had a mission now: to stop Nadakhan from marrying Nya. After the mission, he could freak out as much as he wanted.

Keeping Nya safe was all that mattered now; Nya… he always smiled when he thought of Nya. He couldn't believe that she still visited his parents, or that his parents would have kept that to themselves... although it seemed that wasn't the only thing they kept to themselves after all...

He turned off the water and stepped out of the shower, and as he reached for his towel, he noticed the view from the small bathroom window and he just stood there, staring at the sunset, lost in his own thoughts.

Jay's biggest regret was letting Nadakhan convince him that he could impress the girl of his dreams if he weren't just a poor boy from a junkyard. As soon as the Djinn granted his first wish he received a letter telling him that his father had passed and he had inherited lots and lots of money.

The blue ninja panicked and went back home to be with his mum, only to discover that Ed and Edna were his adopted parents and to his relief, his dad was still alive and well. His biological father, Jay's favorite movie star, Cliff Gordon a.k.a. Fritz Donnegan, had passed and the Master of Lightning had inherited his estate.

Why did Ed and Edna never tell him he was adopted? Was he really angry at them for not telling him? Maybe if they had told him sooner he would have had time to talk to Cliff Gordon, to ask him why he decided to abandon his son on the first place, to ask about his real mum. Did he want to know about his real mum? He wasn't sure... maybe when all this was over he should try and find out what happened, give them the benefit of doubt. There _were_ pictures of him at Cliff's house, even his old Gi, so he obviously cared, he must have had a good reason to abandon his baby son, in a junkyard of all places. Or was the junkyard part of the plan? Had they chosen the eccentric couple to be his parents? _Good choice,_ he thought to himself.

His thoughts went back to his mum and dad... he had a new-found respect for the people who loved him so much even though they weren't his real parents. He couldn't be mad at them, not really. Jay had known for a while that elemental powers were inherited, he should've figured out that he was adopted. Why didn't he?

As soon as he asked the question, he had the answer: it was sweet Edna singing a lullaby to a feverish ten year old; it was Ed spending hours teaching a six year old how to build a toy robot, it was the coolest homemade Halloween costumes, it was camping trips, adventures, board games and loving arms... the ninja's thoughts were with them, he hoped they knew that he loved them just the same and that they would always be his mum and dad.

* * *

Nya walked back upstairs when she was satisfied that she had checked all the boxes. She was glad that she didn't find Jay waiting for her in the living room and she hoped that he was just in the bedroom trying to digest all that food he had eaten. She knew that he was going to make some witty remarks when he saw her and she wasn't looking forward to it.

She walked straight into the bathroom, still thinking about them and all that had happened, eager to let some cold water wash her thoughts away; but as her hand turned the handle and opened the door ever, she froze.

There was her lightning bolt standing by the window with his back to her, wearing nothing but a white cotton towel around his waist. Any other time, his lean muscular body would have been a sight to behold. He wasn't as bulky as Cole or even Lloyd, but somehow he was even more beautiful- at least to her- with long, well defined muscles. She always loved lightning storms because Jay would take his top off and spark his dragon to chase the lightning, as if charged with energy he couldn't contain.

This time, however, she wished she hadn't seen him. Her hand travelled to her mouth to suppress her gasp and she really wanted to close the door and get out of there, but her legs wouldn't obey her. The blue ninja's back was almost completely covered in cuts and bruises of varying shades of red, black and blue. It was hard to find an inch of skin that had been left untouched, and if she had to guess, some of the angrier bruises were made by a metal chain. Her eyes scanned the rest of his body without her consent. There was a deep, long cut on his right arm, as if it had been used to block an attack. His legs were in no better shape and an angry red mark surrounded his right ankle, explaining his limp. Nya had seen the bruises on his face but he didn't imagine that he was that bad. How much pain he was really into? How did he manage to hide this from her?

The female ninja wanted to say something, anything but she just found herself closing the door and walking away, the invisible dagger piercing through her chest again.

* * *

Despite Kai's and Cole's remarks about his abilities, Jay was a ninja. Lost in his own thoughts he still heard the graceful, almost weightless steps that were so Nya, even as she climbed up the stairs. He just never imagined that she would open the door without knocking. The blue ninja could feel her standing there, watching him, and he smiled to himself, trying not to move so she didn't realise he knew of her presence. Oh, he was enjoying himself. The lightning master knew that she always stared at him while played in the storm- even when she supposedly hated him- and he was proud that she obviously like what she saw. Should he say something? Should he turn around and walk to her? Or play hard to get and just ignore her presence? Before he could decide what to do, she was gone.

He took a deep breath. _Ok, Jay. Your time to shine. Get dressed- definitely get dressed or she'll think you are creep- go out there and seduce her. Wait! Do I even know how to seduce a girl?! How about I just talk… yeah, just talk to her... what would Cliff Gordon say? Ah, I wi... would really like to still had that book!_ The master of lightning was lost in his own thoughts as he walked towards the door, when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror _. Oh…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi again,**

 **thanks for reading. This one is again long and as much as I tried it has a different feel than the other ones. It's more hurt comfort than fluff, but hey, these two are going through a lot. I promise some fluff for the next one. Happy Easter!**

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The lightning master knew he was in trouble. Somehow facing Nya was scarier than facing the Pirate Djinn but, tempting as it was, he couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. And to make matters worse he stupidly enough hadn't brought his clean clothes with him because, well, he was Jay. He considered wearing his dirty Gi again, but he really just wanted to burn that thing and flush the ashes down the toilet. Plus, being naked was the least of his problems now... he remembered that time he fought _and_ won a battle with another elemental master wearing nothing but a towel and without embarrassing himself- much.

He let out a defeated sight; he knew very well she was waiting for him outside. He took a deep breath and opened the door, determined to not make eye contact. At least she wouldn't physically hurt him in his current state, just crush his soul... wouldn't be the first time...

When he stepped out, Nya was sitting on the small couch, both her hands covering her face, but she looked up at Jay as he walked pass her. As hard as he tried he couldn't help but looking into those eyes, like a deer looks at headlights. He didn't quite understand what he saw in them, but he sure didn't like it: they were shiny with tears she obviously wouldn't let fall but there was also a fierceness there, anger, disappointment... he wasn't sure what the emotion was but he was scared to find out.

The olive eyes lingered on the angry bruise on his chest, shaped exactly like the vengestone ball he wore around his ankle, courtesy of Monkey Wrench. No wonder his ribs were hurting! If he hadn't looked away, he would have seen the pain on her face, the stupid non-existing dagger sinking in even further, making it hard to breathe... but he forced his eyes to stare at the wood planks instead on his way to the bedroom.

The blue ninja knew that he needed to talk to her, but he just had to get out of there: he had never felt more naked in his entire life.

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An eternity later the lightning master stepped out of Dr Julien's bedroom, wearing a white singlet and blue shorts. He found Nya sitting on the small couch, her hands still covering her beautiful face and when she looked up at him again, he handed her the first aids kit.

The water ninja took it and signaled for him to sit down. Without saying a word, her hands started working on the deep cut on his right arm.

"Oh, c'mon'!" He complained as she dabbed antiseptic on the injury "I know you are angry but you didn't have to take revenge!" he joked.

The girl ignored him as she carefully laid medi- strips, on his forearm, closing the wound.

"I know I should have told you..." he hesitated "but it's not like you didn't know that I was injured, what was the point in showing you this?" Blue eyes searched for olive ones, but the latter were fixed on her work.

"I am a lot better since I got my powers back, I'll be fine in no time!" He tried, but again got nothing from her. The water ninja was busy checking her handiwork.

"This one could have used some stitches but this will have to do." She said so quietly he knew she was talking to herself.

She made a gesture for him to turn around, carefully avoiding eye contact. Jay wondered if she knew that having her ignoring him like that was more painful than anything Nadakhan could ever do to him.

"I didn't show you because I am trying to ignore this myself..." he tried once more, but the rest of the sentence got lost when he felt her soft hands on his skin.

Without saying a word, Nya removed his singlet and diligently moved to a cut on his lower back, her silence stinging him more than the antiseptic. Again she worked closing the wound with more medi- strips. When she was ready, her eyes scanned the rest of his back for her next target -she was tackling all the bigger wounds first. She selected his injured shoulder and the process began again: a dab of antiseptic and then carefully closing the wound. But this time, he noticed how her hands lingered on his skin a little longer than necessary, almost caressing him; and before he knew it, she was sobbing.

The only time Jay had seen her sobbing was when they had lost Zane. That was also the time she took comfort in Cole's arms and not his...

"Nya..." He didn't dare to turn around, knowing he had to say something but unsure what to say. He never meant to hurt her.

"This was my fault" she said, almost whispering.

"What?" he turned around at the realization that she wasn't angry at him after all. He held both her shoulders in his hands. "why would you think this is your fault? I was the one who made the wishes on the first p…"

"Back on Tiger Widow's Island, when the pirates took you..." she interrupted him "I… Cole and Lloyd wanted to spark their dragons and go after you… and told them not to... I'm so sorry, Jay!" she weeped. "I should have saved you..." she covered her face with her hands once more.

"Do you know what those pirates would have done to the three of you?!" He said in a high pitched voice. Jay was glad that his friends had just let Nadakhan take him. "Besides, you did save me." he added as his eyes searched for hers, but her gaze was fixed on her hands.

"I wouldn't call that botched rescue mission 'saving you'…" she tried to add humour to her broken voice.

"Haha, me neither, that was terrible. What I meant was… when we were falling… I had given up, I really was not strong enough" he looked away from her, embarrassed of what he was saying.

"Jay…"

He remembered it clearly. He felt the wind on his face, but not in the same exhilarating way as when he rode his dragon through a storm; this wind was doom and despair. He knew he didn't have it in him yet his only concern was for her. Would she be able to spark her dragon? Save herself? He was angry at Lloyd. Jay didn't understand how the Green Ninja didn't realise that he was too weak and too scared to spark his dragon or why he would expect Nya, who had just started her training to be able to do it either... and yet... just when he thought all was lost, she surprised him by saying they could be strong together. The love of his life flew to him and held his hands, smiling a confident, caring smile that took him someplace where there was only him and Nya, someplace where she loved him back. He felt her energy flowing through him, her power activating his, healing his wounds. He wasn't in pain anymore, he was strong. They were strong.

He was thrilled when that strength became a dragon more powerful than his own. Even their elemental powers were compatible, though they seemed not to be at first glance.

He wrapped his arms around her waist as they soared through the sky, the wind his loyal friend once more. And then he knew that his vision was coming true, that this was their destiny, that they will always be strong together.

"I was broken and tired, I didn't have it in me to keep fighting… and then... you said we could be strong together. When you held my hands... I... I could feel your elemental power... you healed me... and you were so confident you made me feel confident and I just knew we were going to be OK, do you know what I mean?" He looked straight at her, hoping his eyes would convey more than his words.

Nya looked back at him, her eyes still swollen but definitely brighter than before. She wiped away the tears and smiled. She did know what he meant and there was so much she wanted to say to him... but she couldn't . She had felt it too, their connection growing stronger than ever. She knew their elemental powers were one, that for a moment _they_ had become one... and it wasn't the first time she had felt it. As she flew their dragon, her mind went back to her conversation with Cole, when he told her about Jay's vision at the First Spinjitzu Master's Tomb and, for a moment she believed that the vision was real.

But she had also spent years carefully burying any feelings for the blue ninja. She was never really happy when they were together, even when love was there. Slowly but surely, as they got closer, Jay became possessive and overprotective. She felt that he was an obstacle in her way, stopping her from becoming the person she wanted to be. She was so young yet she knew that she wanted to be much more than just Kai's sister or Jay's girlfriend... and she knew she had broken his heart- and her own- it was never easy to let go of her lightning boy and she wondered if she would have been able to do it if it wasn't for Cole and the Perfect Match Machine... the last thing she wanted was to hurt Jay again... she... needed to change the subject, and fast.

"I hope you know you are sleeping on the bed and that's no up for discussion." she said matter-of-factly.

"You know it's not safe to leave you exposed outside. If they do find us at least I would hear them first and you would be safe inside..." he tried to reason with her, but deep down he knew he was fighting a lost battle.

"That's why I'll sleep in the bedroom, on the floor, next to you. That way whatever happens none of us will be alone." she stated. Truth be told, in his current state, she was afraid to leave him alone.

"Seriously? And that seems perfectly appropriate to you?" He started to freak out.

"If you don't like that arrangement then maybe we can just share the bed." She said confidently, staring right at the blue ninja. The way she smiled told Jay that she knew exactly what she was doing to him.

"Ok, you can sleep on the floor… but only for a day or two. A... as soon as I'm better I'll stay out here" he spoke quickly, studying the ground, his face a lobster shade of red. He was grateful that she was the Master of Water and not the Master of the Mind or he would have been in a whole lot of trouble…

::::::::::::::::::::::

The next morning after breakfast- Jay had made her pancakes- the blue ninja was inspecting Dr Julien's inventions. He was in awe at the ingenuity, at how the spinning table was mostly mechanics than electronics. His hands hovered over the console, too eager to touch it yet fearful of breaking it. He noticed a button with a picture of Elvis Presley on it and smiled to himself. He thought of his mum and dad and how much they loved this music. He thought of Nya and how much she loved dancing, maybe music would cheer her up. He risked pressing the button, praying that the music wouldn't be too loud.

The blue ninja was pleasantly surprised when a song he recognized started playing, loud enough to get Nya back upstairs in ten seconds, but not too loud that would get them any unwanted attention.

He marveled at the water ninja's face, lit up for the first time in days as she sang completely out of key in the cutest possible way: 'a little less conversation, a little more action.' Jay didn't know if it was the song's lyrics or her swaying hips but he found himself holding her hands and dancing with her, just enjoying being happy for a brief moment.

He spun her around, his reward a musical laugh that seem to travel through his body like electricity. So of course he spun her again, and again, and again. When she finally got dizzy, he pulled her closer so she wouldn't fall and enjoyed the feeling of her body shaking against his, her laughter travelling through his chest and straight into his soul:

pure happiness.

As the laughter died out, he realised that the song had finished and the next tune was a slower dance. He tried to pull away from her, determined to be a gentleman and not make her uncomfortable, when he felt soft hands snaking around his neck, keeping him in place. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, enjoying that feeling of being at home that he had missed so much. But he was surprised to feel her minty breath on his ear as she whispered 'but I can't help, falling in love with you…"

His body acted on its own accord when his hands cupped her face, pulling her lips closer. He kissed her like he never had before and she kissed him back with the same intensity. As his lips danced with hers, his hands wrapped around her waist again, pulling her closer, but it wasn't nearly close enough. Soon, oxygen became a necessity, which was good because as soon as he pulled apart he recovered control over his body.

"I can't do this again" he forced himself to tell her, panting, their noses still touching. He wanted this, but he couldn't afford to get his heart broken again. "I love you. I have always loved you, Nya... I need to know..."

His words got lost when her hand caressed his cheek.

"I love you too. I always have. I'm sorr..." she said but before she could finish his lips where on hers once more.

The blue ninja was in his personal Heaven. The world around him was nothing but a blur: there was only the smell of Nya's hair, the taste of Nya's lips, his hands around her waist. He was aware that a tiny part of him, at the very back of his mind, was trying to get his attention but he ignored it. He focused all his energy and attention in her, in recovering the time they had lost, in this oasis of happiness in a desert of loss and despair... until the noise in his head became louder and louder.

Reluctantly he pulled away from her, only to see a massive shadow through the window, covering the sunlight: the Misfortune's Keep shadow.

He heard laughter behind him and he turned around, positioning himself between Nadakhan and Nya, his left arm on a protective stance, the Pirate Djinn's laugh ringing in his ears.

Jay attacked the Djinn with his elemental power over and over again, but over and over the Pirate would disappear into thin air, only to reappear behind the blue ninja.

"Just give up, Junkyard boy" said Nadakhan "you've proven your worth, you can live, you earned that. Besides... I don't need your power if I have her"

Master of Lightning stared murderously at him, sparks of blue light dancing all over his body. There was no way he would let that salamander touch his Nya.

He saw the other ninja trying to kick the Djinn, and her leg getting caught by a chain in mid air, thanks to Dogshank. Of course the coward wouldn't come alone.

He used his elemental power again, hitting the female foe who immediately let go of Nya. Lucky for her Nadakhan had turned her into a monster, because Jay put so much power in that lighting that it would have instantly killed any normal person.

The blue ninja smiled to himself as Nya stood up, unscathed. But he paid a high price for his distraction as the Djinn caught him off guard, hitting his face with his hooked hand, piercing his left eye.

The pain was blinding. The blue ninja got on his knees, disoriented. He couldn't tell if the screams ringing in his head were Nya's or his own, the world around him was spinning. He felt the soft, familiar hands around his face, anchoring him. And then she was ripped away from him, the Pirate Captain's laughter echoing through the Lighthouse.

"You really though you could stop me, didn't you?" He said, a sadistic smile on him face that Nya erased with a kick to the guts. He turned around to look at her. "Feisty, just how I like it."

 _No._ He will not win, Jay will not let him. He always knew he would loose an eye and this was it, this was his destiny, there was no way he would let him take her. Against all odds the blue Ninja got to his feet, painting.

"Ninjago!" He said spinning around but to his dismay his spinjitzu failed, he was too weak.

He heard Nya scream before the pain hit him. His chest was burning, a warm liquid dripping through his Gi. Blood. Flintlock had shot him.

The blue ninja was on his knees, his vision clouded but he could hear Nadakhan' evil laughter, he could hear Nya struggling to break free.

"Nya! Nya! No!" He screamed, his arms extended trying to reach out as Nadakhan and Dogshank forced her into a flying ship...

::::::::::::::::::::::::

The master of water woke up at the sound of her name.

"Nya! Nya! No!" called her lightning boy.

She sat up on her makeshift bed and held his cold yet sweaty hand.

"Shhh, it's ok, I'm right here" she said softly, kissing away the frown from his forehead


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi all,**

 **Sorry I'm super late with this chapter. I both took a little Easter break with my family and didn't like what I wrote at first- it was way too steamy for two little legos! I think I like these guys better when they are sweet and innocent. Anyway, I hope you like it and again thanks for reading :)**

 **remember you can always send me a pm with suggestions.**

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Jay woke up before sunrise, the bright moonlight still shinning through the bedroom window. He was a little disoriented, but he knew very well that he wasn't in a cold cell, nor back at the Destiny's Bounty, because this room was filled with the sweet, pleasant smell that he recognised as Nya's hair. And then, of course, there was the small, warm hand, still wrapped around his. He sat up to look at her, deeply asleep on her futon looking like all of his dreams had come true. He worried for a moment that it had not been a nightmare, that Flintlock had really shot him, that he just died and went to Heaven because he couldn't think of any other place he wanted to be right then- unless, of course, the real Nya needed him back at Ninjago- but the girl relieved him of his worry when she started snoring softly, causing Jay to need all of his ninja training to stop himself from laughing and waking her up. He smiled to himself; he was not dead: Heaven Nya definitely wouldn't snore.

As tempting as it was to just lay there and enjoy the moment, he let go of the soft hand, placing it gently next to her face; he was a gentleman, and as much as he wanted to believe that they were getting closer, he knew that she was only holding his hand to stop his nightmares and it was wrong to take advantage of her kindness when he was awake.

The blue ninja sat up and wiggled his way out of the bedroom, careful not to wake her. The room was rather small, the bed occupying half of it and Nya's futon the other half, leaving only small gaps for him to stand on without disturbing her. His feet were agile, tiptoes barely touching the floor surface; a little jump over her legs and when he turned around he saw an Angel sleeping peacefully. Smiling, he slowly closed the door without making a sound.

Once outside, Jay realised that he was actually feeling better. His limp had all but disappeared, his muscles were no longer sore. He could feel the cuts and bruises and his ribs were still tender, but overall he was definitely on the mend. Maybe it was the fact that his wounds were no longer bleeding, or maybe it was the healing tea Nya forced him to drink before bed, but he suspected that it may have had something to do with holding her hand for half the night. It was a fact that his elemental power made him stronger and he never felt stronger than when he combined his powers with hers to create a dragon... he even remember the pain in his eye subsiding, so much so that he didn't need his eyepatch anymore. He found himself smiling and concluded that maybe he just liked to have an excuse to hold her hand.

To his dismay, freed from the spell of Nya's shampoo, his anxiety made a comeback. As lovely as this was, he knew they wouldn't be able to hide forever. Lloyd had said that his wish was the key, but try as he might to think about the right wish to make, he could always see a loophole that Nadakhan could use against him. He paced around the small living area; doing nothing made him even more anxious... that was it! They had to _do_ something! They had to be strong, perfect their team fighting skills; they needed plans and strategies they could use to defend themselves: if they were going to have any chance at all, they needed to learn to work as one.

His team mate had been a ninja for only a few months and she had been a little right to be angry at him: he did watch her most of the time. It wasn't at all like what she thought, though; he was just trying to find a way to get her attention, he was just admiring her determination.

In his mind, Nya was without a shadow of a doubt the most valuable member of the team: she was smart, fast, strong and resourceful and she had saved their hides more times than he could count. But he knew she still fought like Samurai X and she still had to learn how to be a ninja. The Ninja strength was never about elemental powers or individual abilities, but how well they worked together and relied on each other when things got tough.

He admired the Water Ninja's strengths but he was also very aware of her weaknesses: she tired quickly when using her elemental power- as they all did at first- so she avoided it; she couldn't do Airjitzu yet and she wasn't really good at team strategy, being used to working alone. But what really worried him from watching her spar with the boys- she always refused to spar with him- was that after the third or fourth blow she would always lower her guard and leave her left side open, vulnerable. True, most enemies weren't in a position to hurt her after the third or fourth blow, but they were definitely not facing their regular foes this time around.

Jay worried he wasn't the most qualified ninja to train her, he would have loved for Master Wu to be there to help them...

::::::::::::::::::::::

The Blue Ninja woke her up by sunrise and to his surprise, Nya thought that training was a good idea. They decided to use the basement- it would be too risky to be outside.

"Ok, please don't be mad but I think you really need to learn to do Airjitzu. You never know when it can come in handy." He said, his hands in the air as if bracing for impact.

"Well, I'll let you know that I already can do Airjitzu. I learned back at Tiger Widow's Island." She said with a proud smile.

Jay smiled back. Was there anything she couldn't do?

"Sweet! Let me see!" He added excited.

The water ninja spun in the air, her expression confident. Her feet left the ground with not enough speed and her sideways movements almost took her all the way up to the main living area- almost. She tried stabilising herself on the way down and managed to somehow land on all fours, half gracefully. When she looked up at Jay, his face was contorted, obviously fighting an internal battle not to laugh at her. A battle he quickly lost.

"Hahaha" he chuckled, rubbing his tender ribs. "Ouch, hehe... do you... haha... call that Airjitzu? Hehe, ouch, you're killing me!"

"Um, I guess a giant monster trying to eat me was good motivation... can you stop laughing now? You are gonna hurt yourself!" She herself wasn't sure if she was angry at him or worried about his wellbeing.

"Hahaha, I'm sorry... it's just... hehe...ouch... you were so confident... hehe" he could barely breathe from the mixture of laughter and pain.

She glared daggers at him. His laughter stopped.

"Ok, ok, try that one more time. I promise I won't laugh... much" he said, holding back another chuckle.

"At least you are being honest..." she replied with a dimpled grin that took his breath away.

Nya closed her eyes, concentrating for a second try. The Water Ninja focused all her elemental power, spinning around as her feet left the ground. But somehow her balance was lost again and she felt herself falling a few meters away from where she started. Her partner's quiet giggle told her that she didn't do any better this time around.

"Hehe, I'm sorry... hehe...Aww" He was trying really hard not to laugh, but there was something about watching all perfect, never failing Nya, failing so spectacularly. Especially when she had been so cocky about her abilities earlier. "I think I know what the problem is though." He continued, rubbing his ribcage as the pain on his side killed his laughter. "Try rotating your right shoulder a little bit more, it will give you more power."

Nya tried again, this time following his advice. She did notice the extra power as a sphere of energy wrapped around her. But as her feet left the ground, she felt her body moving too much to the right before loosing control. This time she landed face down on the floor, barely able to use her hands to stop her chin from hitting the concrete.

"Nya!" Jay yelled, running to her. He was relieved to see her sitting up and offered his arm to help her up. "Are you alright?"

"Please tell me you didn't do that on purpose." She said, but the concerned expression on his face told her he hadn't.

"Of course no! You need to use your core strength to keep your spine straight as you jump. Try again. Don't worry, you are doing better than Kai did when first tried." He smiled a shy smile that she knew was only for her.

"Ok... thanks" she said, accepting his help.

She stood up, eyes fixed on the unreachable upper level. The Water Ninja took a deep breath. She was glowing with determination: this was not the time to be afraid to fail; she could do this, she had done it. She needed to be able to escape the Pirates if they were found- she needed to stop Jay from taking unnecessary risks to save her... she felt the energy from her elemental power surrounding her body, her feet slowly leaving the ground... before loosing balance and falling on her right side. Hard.

She punched the floor and stood up before he could offer his help again. Maybe he was just a terrible teacher. Maybe she was right all along: she was Samurai X, not a ninja.

"You need to keep your body straight..." he started, but she stared daggers at him again. He knew her well, she was giving up. Except that this time he couldn't allow it. She needed to be able to escape Nadakhan if they were found. "Maybe I can't just tell you, maybe I need to show you. Let's try it one more time, together."

She didn't reply, but her eyes softened, so he walked towards her, stoping one step behind her.

He was so close that Nya could feel his body even if he wasn't touching her. She always wondered if the surge of energy she felt every time he got too close was due to his elemental power or to him being, well, Jay. She always refused to spar with him because she couldn't concentrate when he was standing so close, because every cell of her body came to life with the energy emanating from him. She inhaled deeply when his hand hovered around her stomach.

"May I?" He whispered in her ear and her knees almost faltered.

"Nya?" He pressed when she didn't respond. He promised himself not to make her feel uncomfortable and he was planning on keeping that promise.

She nodded, and before she knew it, electricity ran through her whole body, as his hand on her abdomen pulled her closer to him, their bodies now touching slightly ... it took her back to the last fond memory she had of them.

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In the months after the final battle their relationship took a turn for the worse. He had gotten extremely nervous when she was taken by the Stone Army. His anxiety, his insecurities, her frustration about the teacher job and the lack of work for a Ninja or a Samurai in New Ninjago City weren't helping the situation. She loved him with every fibre of her being but she felt that he was drowning her spirit. Nya always knew they would be together forever but she wasn't sure that she liked what the future looked like for them.

He must have felt her unhappiness too because he started trying really hard, too hard sometimes. But there was one particular time when he got it right. She had no idea how he managed to get Kai's approval, but Jay finally convinced her brother to let them go to the New Ninjago City Midnight Market. And she loved it.

The city was alive with lights and music and people walking around the river. They shared cotton candy and Nya wrapped her arm around Jay's as they explored the market stalls. They stopped at an improvised ballroom dancing lesson and admired the dancers, some young, some old, some more graceful than others, but all of them enjoying themselves.

"Wanna try?" he asked, offering his hand to her, blue eyes shining with the moonlight.

Nya took his hand, smiling brightly as they joined the rest of the dancers, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't dance to save her life.

He put one hand on her back and gracefully tried to lead her. He had definitely done that before- probably with his mum. The Samurai X, on the other hand, kept loosing her rhythm and stepping on his feet.

Her lightning bolt spun her around and judging by the expression on his face, he was delighted with the giggles he was getting from her. Perhaps giving up on her dancing skills, he settled for pulling her closer, his body flushed against hers, much closer than they've ever had been before- at least on purpose.

"Is this OK?" he whispered in her ear.

His warm breath sent an electric wave down her spine and she found herself pulling him even closer. An alien sound escaped the back of her throat causing him to chuckled.

"I'm going to take that as a yes... hehe" he whispered again and she could feel his chest rise and fall with his soft laughter, lulling her.

She rested her head on his shoulder, inhaling the smell of him, drowning herself on that feeling of being exactly where she belonged. He rested his nose between her neck and her shoulder, one of his hands buried in her hair. They slowly moved side to side and she found herself dancing on a cloud.

::::::::::::::

"Ok" he breathed as he placed his free hand on her right shoulder. "Engage your core muscles. Make sure your back is straight and rotate your shoulder just as your feet leave the ground" he continued in a broken voice; as soon as he whispered in her ear, as soon as her smell clouded all his senses, he knew that getting that close was a bad idea but it was too late to turn back. His whole body was trembling, urging him to pull her closer, to burrow his nose on his favourite spot, right where her soft neck met her shoulder... but he couldn't do that. He was there to protect his friend and nothing more.

He lead her as their bodies were wrapped in a sphere of energy, his right hand rotating her shoulder, stabilising her body when he felt she was loosing balance. They landed softly on the top level, his hand lingering on her middle for a few seconds while he mustered the strength to let go. And all too soon, he stepped away from her.

"So, how was that?" He asked in a husky voice.

"Ok" she breathed, her cheeks a bright shade of pink. It was definitely more than OK but she wouldn't admit that, not even to herself. In her mind she was already going through all the reasons why they never worked out back then, all the reasons why they would never work out.

"Now you try it." he smiled encouraging.

She looked back at him. His cheeks were lightly pink, his eyes bright with emotion, a smile on his face that could power the whole of Ninjago.

"Today would be great" He added when she didn't move.

"Yeah, right" the water ninja replied, flustered.

She knew what to do this time, his touch lingering on her skin. She closed her eyes and imagined his hand still on her shoulder, his body keeping hers straight. Before she knew it she was surrounded by a blue sphere of pure energy as her feet left the ground. She made it gracefully down to the basement, and just to show off, back up again to the living area.

"That was amazing!" said the blue ninja, his hand up in the air waiting for a high five.

"What can I say?" She replied, her hand clapping his, her dimpled smiled warming his heart "I had a great teacher."

::::::

 **i hope it doesn't feel like I'm repeating Jay's nightmare in this memory. i want to convey that they do remember fondly the same things, even though I mostly tell the memories from Nya's point of view because she's the one with the internal battle, not him.**


	6. Chapter 6

**For those of you who are into that, there is a bit of a playlist for this fic. Just songs I listen to that remind me of them.**

 **Everything I do - Brian Adams**

 **I'm yours- Jason Mratz**

 **A Thousand Years- Christina Perry**

 **Count on me- Bruno Mars**

 **Say Something- A great big world**

 **Photograph- Ed Sheeran**

 **Please Forgive Me- Brian Adams**

 **I won't give up- Jason Mratz**

 **::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

The Master of Water laid on her futon, eyes wide open staring at the night sky through the window. Her teammate's soft breathing told her that he was deeply asleep. She couldn't stop thinking about him, about that feeling of being at home that she always got whenever she was in his arms, at the raw emotion she saw in his eyes whenever she looked at him, at his touch still lingering on her skin, at how safe she felt with him, even though she was probably in more danger than she'd ever been. She thought she had buried all those feelings a long time ago, but now, alone with him in that lighthouse they were all coming back. And it was terrifying.

She never forgave herself for what she did to him: she broke his heart, she betrayed him. It was an escape route, really. She would have never been able to let him go if it wasn't for Cole's attentions- or rather the childish way they both fought over her- and she wanted her independence back, she needed to be the Samurai X, not 'the girl' in some boys club. And so, cowardly, she crushed her blue boy's heart and played with Cole's feelings.

To make matters worse, against all odds, Jay forgave her even though she'd never really apologised, even though she'd never really explained herself. Her Lightning Bolt didn't care how horrible she was, he understood her, he still loved her. She knew- and it both comforted her and scared her- that he meant it when he said he would protect her with his life.

Nya was certain of one thing: whatever happened next, she would not break his heart again. She would not give in to his attentions until she was sure that she could commit to a relationship with him, that she could love him the way he deserved to be loved... and she wasn't ready yet. She still wanted her independence, more so now that she was forced to give up her Samurai X persona to become the 'girl ninja'. She needed to feel somehow in control of her destiny.

"Wish... away... no..." the Blue Ninja whispered in his dreams, interrupting her thoughts.

She looked at his beautiful features distorted with worry and placed her cheek on his forehead, her hand stroking his silky hair.

"It's ok, Jay. You are safe. I'm here." She whispered against his skin and felt his tension melt away, his hand searching for hers.

She took it and kissed his forehead before laying back on her futon. Another thing was certain: she would not let Nadakhan ever hurt him again.

:::::::::::::::::

"So what's the lesson for today, boss?" Nya asked jokingly.

They were at the basement for their morning training session.

"I was hoping you could show me some of your moves and I could show you some of mine. It would be good to learn how to used this environment to defend ourselves." he smiled back.

"You mean sparing?" she questioned and he replied with a shy nod. He kind of expected her to say no. " I don't know, Jay. I don't want to hurt you..."

"Ooh, someone's over confident!" he interrupted her.

"Don't be silly, you know you are still recovering, if I do hit you by accident…" she added.

"I feel fine" Jay replied dismissing her with his hand. And it was true: apart from his ribs being a little bit sore and some of the bigger cuts still healing he felt stronger than he had in days. He was finally feeling confident that if the pirates did show up he would be able to protect Nya. "Besides... you'll have to catch me first, Pothole!" he continued jokingly.

That gained him a dimpled smile. "Oh, you are on, Sparky!" she replied getting into a fighting stance. He was in a good mood and that was always a great sign.

They circled around the basement for a few seconds. The blue ninja waiting patiently for her to make her first move.

"Scared?" She asked confidently.

He just gave her crooked smile that almost knocked her off her feet. Nya felt her cheeks getting hot and decided to distract him by making her move. She started with a straight punch to his chest, which he blocked just in time. She tried to sweep his feet but he jumped out of the way. She waited for him to attack but he didn't, so she tried a front kick which not only did he easily dodge, but he also managed to clip the left side of her abdomen with his nunchucks.

"Ha! Lightning one, Water Zero!" he exclaimed victorious.

The Water Ninja took a step back, ignoring he pain. She would not show him any weaknesses. If he wanted to play rough, he had it.

She attacked him again, this time with more force. Jay blocked the first blow to his knee and she smiled when he barely managed to move out of the way of her side kick.

"Not so tough now?" She asked cockily.

She erased the confident smile off his face when her jab brushed his cheek missing him by an inch. But victory was short lived, as his leg kicked the left side of her waist again.

"How are you doing that?" she asked incredulous. She hadn't trained with Jay for a while, but she knew that she could give Kai a run for his money and her brother usually beat the Blue Ninja, so this didn't make any sense. Except...

" _You!_ " she exclaimed in anger as realisation hit her. "Just because you have been spying on me, now you think you know all of my moves?!" she yelled as she punched his stomach, forcing the blue ninja to grab her arm and spin his body around to avoid getting hurt. He tried restraining her arms behind her back but that was a mistake, as she pushed herself backwards banging his body against the wall harder than was necessary for a training exercise.

She turned around to face him. A smile on her face, a dagger to his throat.

"I bet you didn't see that one coming..." she panted.

Jay was fighting the biggest battle of his life. There she was, strong, confident smiling that dimpled smile of hers that was designed to numb his brain... but he promised to be a gentleman. There was the smell of flowers coming from her soft hair, his hands eager to tuck the few loose strands behind her ears... but he promised he wouldn't make her feel uncomfortable. Her warm breath on his face, reminding him of how close her red lips were... but his mission was to keep his _friend_ safe...

He was stronger than she was and he was sure that if his brain started working again, he could find a way to break off her hold- especially because she wouldn't really stab him with her dagger. But his brain was too busy keeping his body from moving and doing things he may- or may not- regret.

To Jay's relief, she let go of him and took two steps back.

"I believe that is one all" she stated, raised fists protecting her serious face. "Now let me show you what happens when you _don't_ know all of my moves."

He pulled himself from the wall, meeting her stance. She immediately kicked his abdomen, purposely missing him by an inch.

"Hey! I'm sorry I upset you" he said, blocking her leg with his uninjured arm.

"Why would I be upset? Because you stare at me as if you have the right to, memorise all my moves and then use them to mock me? She replied with a right hook, her voice filled with venom.

"Seriously? That's what you think this is?" He yelled panting, barely dodging her attacks.

"I was only trying to get your attention and then you got so upset that every time I looked in your general direction you thought I was looking at you!" he continued as he got out of the way of another front kick. "I just noticed that after a while..." he continued, kicking the left side of her body.

"Ouch!" She complained.

"You always let your guard down and your left side is exposed. I just had to dodge you and wait for it..." he panted, holding his ribcage.

She took a step back, breathing heavily.

"Look, I've been there, why do you think Master Wu made me wear armour for years?" Jay said, putting his arm on her shoulder. She turned away from him. He kept his arm in place.

"I thought you wanted to wear it because it looked good" she added grabbing his arm and propelling him to the floor.

"You said it, not me! Ouch!" he replied trying to get to his feet but stopped by Nya's knee on his chest. "The point is that I was you. I wanted to be strong like the rest of the guys and I was trying to add more power at the expense of defence. And you and I, we're not Cole. When we get hit, it hurts... And then, a wise samurai told me that _I_ was the best me..." he smiled at her and she found herself smiling back. "Play to your strengths, Nya. You're fast and smart. Use that."

"I believe that's Water two, Lightning one...why didn't you just tell me this?" She asked, standing up and offering her hand to him.

"Because I didn't want you to be angry at me" he replied, taking her hand. " I thought I could just let you figure it out in your own. Last time I checked, you don't like being told what to do."

As Nya helped him up, he used her body weight to pull her back down with him. His plan was brilliant: he would roll on top of her, hold her wrists and use his weight to keep her down until she gave him a point. It wasn't until she was actually under his body, her red lips so close to his, her chest raising and falling with every ragged breath, that he realised his plan was utterly stupid.

The Water Ninja couldn't move and she wasn't sure she wanted to. She could feel every cell on her body coming to life, her heart trying to escape from her chest. She was excited and scared. She wanted this, she wanted him, to be whole again, to feel at home again. But she was afraid to hurt her blue boy once more. She cringed with the idea of becoming the 'Blue Ninja's girlfriend'; being the 'girl ninja' was bad enough. She tried to remember his anxiety, his possessiveness, all those reasons she repeated like a mantra to hide her feelings, but when he gingerly closed the gap between them, her body trembled in anticipation without her consent.

The Lightning Master smiled. He could feel her leaning into his touch, he wasn't crossing any lines, she wanted this. This was it: his destiny with Nya. Before he kissed her, he forced himself to look away from those red lips and search for her eyes. There was just so much he wanted to tell her.

But when blue met olive, he saw doubt, maybe even... fear. His heart sank. He was wrong, she didn't want this after all and he had broken all of his promises to keep her safe, to not make her feel uncomfortable, to be a gentleman. There was only one thing he could do now. One thing he was really good at... Jay got closer to her, his lips brushing her ear.

"Do you remember the last time we were like this?" he whispered in a husky voice that he hoped was sexy for extra impact.

As soon as he did, Nya lost all control of her body, a sound escaping the back of her throat without her consent: a snort. Jay felt her body shaking with laughter and couldn't help but joining her as he rolled over to his side, away from the hypnotic red lips.

"And that... hehe... is two all... hahaha...!" he said between chuckles.

:::::::::::::

It was the day after their disastrous date at Mega Monster Amusement Park. The snakes had made a complete mess out of Nya's Exxo suit and Jay had invited her to bring it to his parents junkyard where she could get all the parts she needed and he could help her fix it.

"Oh Ed, look! Jay brought his girlfriend Nya!" exclaimed a very excited Edna, holding her husband's arm.

"Muuum!" Jay said between his teeth. "We're... not..." he looked at Nya to check her reaction and she smiled, obviously enjoying his torture. "I'm just helping Nya fix her suit."

"Ah, Edna, dear, we should leave now if we want to make it to the market on time." said Ed in attempt to save his son some humiliation.

"Oh, of course, dear... Nya, darling, would you stay for dinner? I would love to show you Jay's baby photos and I'm buying some fresh oranges for my award winning cake!" she said, holding both of the Samurai's hands.

Nya looked at her not- yet-well- maybe-boyfriend for confirmation, but apart from looking like he would drop dead any second, his expression was unreadable.

"I'd love to?" she replied uncertain, not because she didn't love the Walkers, or because she wasn't looking forwards to seeing Jay's baby pictures, but because she didn't know if it was OK with him.

"Perfect!" exclaimed an excited Edna as she walked towards the car. "See you soon!" she waved.

"And Jay..." added Ed as he drove off the junkyard "remember: you are a gentleman! No girls allowed in your bedroom!"

"Daaad! We live on a trailer! I don't even have a bedroom!"

The Blue Ninja was too embarrassed to talk- and definitely dreading the thought of Nya looking at his baby pictures and all the embarrassing stories that would certainly come with them- so they just started working on the suit straight away.

Nya wanted to start with the suit's right arm, but the parts she needed to replace were on a really tight spot. She removed her communicator bracelet so her arm could fit, and Jay climbed up with her to hold her waist so she wouldn't fall- he particularly loved that part.

It was all going well until the Samurai X succeeded in loosening the bolt- the only bolt holding together the arm and the front of the suit, where they were standing.

The whole suit crumbled down, taking them down with it. Jay's instinct was to hold her tight and protect her with his body, so he landed on the ground on top of her, his hands on the back of her head stopping her from getting hurt, pieces of the Exxo suit landing on top of his body from the waist down, breaking the phone he kept on his back pocket and rendering them unable to move.

At first, being stuck on top of Nya was a dream come true. Her soft hair in between his fingers, noticing the subtle olive notes of her dark eyes, her shy, dimpled smile. Jay thought he could never get enough of that, but after a few hours the flirting had stopped, his arms and back were killing him and they were both getting hungry.

Luckily, just when they were starting to feel like they would be there until the Walkers came back from the market- which according to Jay would be hours- they heard footsteps approaching.

"Kai!" Nya called.

From where Kai was standing he couldn't see the debris trapping them. All he could see was his former friend's body flushed against his innocent, fourteen year old baby sister, the traitor's his creepy fingers running through her hair.

"Jay! What on earth is going on! I trusted you, dude!" he cried in agony, rubbing the sides of his face with his hands. "She's fourteen, bro! FOURTEEN!"

"Kai, it's not..." Jay tried to explain.

"Don't you dare telling me it's not what it looks like! I thought we were friends, I thought we were brothers! I've risk my life to save your hide! She's my baby sister!" the Red Ninja Interrupted, pulling his own hair, clearly unable to deal with the situation.

Nya wanted to say something, but between Kai's hilarious face and the fact that Jay was really scared, she was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

"How could you, Jay! What sort of friend are you! You are supposed to be a ninja! Where's your honour! She's practically a child!" the Red Ninja kept going on and on and on...

"Bro, it really..." the Lightning Master tried again to no avail.

"AT LEAST HAVE THE DECENCY TO GET OFF MY UNDERAGE SISTER SO I CAN KICK YOUR BUTT!" bellowed Kai.

The noise attracted Cole and Zane, who approached them from the opposite side, having plain view of what was going on. From their angle, it was very clear that Jay and Nya couldn't move even if they wanted to. The Black Ninja broke out laughing so hard that a stream of tears ran through his face, making the Samurai X laugh even harder.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY, COLE!" yelled Kai, his closed fists aflame.

The Master of Earth tried to explain himself, he even pointed at Jay's back trying to make Kai understand, but every time he opened his mouth a chuckle escaped. It didn't help that the Blue Ninja was pale as a ghost or that Nya looked like she couldn't breathe from laughing so hard.

"Kai, I believe that you may be misreading the situation..." said Zane, struggling to understand what was so funny about their friends being stuck, or why the Fire Ninja was so upset.


	7. Chapter 7

After their little competitive training session- the one Jay claimed to have won and Nya assured he had just cheated- they sat at the main living area to have some lunch.

"You should eat something healthy, you know?" said the Water Ninja, staring disapprovingly at the package of ninja chips on the other's hand.

"Potatoes _are_ vegetables!" Came his retort as he stuffed a big mouthful in his mouth.

She rolled her eyes, trying very hard to hide the fond smile that threatened to curve her lips.

"Any luck figuring out your wish yet?" she added in an attempt to start some serious conversation and distract herself from the fact that goofball ninja over there was slowly but steadily crawling his way back into her heart. Was he ever really out? Yes, he definitely was, right?

She was sure than when they first opened the tea shop, they could be around each other without any fireworks or dancing butterflies breaking havoc in her chest. Then again...

:::::::::::

Nya wasn't surprised to find Lloyd sitting alone on a rock by the waterfall, the same spot where she would learn to be a ninja in just a few short weeks. He had been doing a great job at pretending that he was fine all along, but she could tell that the usual childhood gleam was gone, his green eyes clouded with sadness. For the most part, he dissimulated well: his resort never wavered and he even gifted everyone with polite smiles that didn't quite touch his eyes, a fact that only Nya- and perhaps Master Wu- seemed to notice.

She had been reading a book earlier when the unusual silence had caught her attention. She knew the boys were playing Mega Ninja Strike III downstairs and when she couldn't hear their usual banter over whose turn it was- as there were five players and only four controllers- she quickly guessed that there was one missing ninja… and she knew exactly where to find him.

It was an Autumn night yet a sprinkle of stars illuminated the water. She could feel the dry leaves crunching under her jikatabi as she carefully approached the hunched figure, unsure about what to say to him once she got there.

The Green Ninja would always have a special place in her heart. She remembered very well all those times she looked after him when he was only a little boy, while the ninja were out on adventures. They would make up silly bedtime stories, have toy sword fights and play with his Fritz Donnegan action figures. Some afternoons they would watch movies on the couch while sharing popcorn, or she would tickle his middle when he cheated at a board game, delighted at the chimes of his innocent laughter. She pretended to resent the rest of the ninja for making her babysit Lloyd, but truth be told, she loved the opportunity to be a kid again with him and she saw a lot of herself in her little mischief partner.

So it broke her heart when he was forced to grow up far too soon, not only because she now missed their childhood adventures, but because she understood that the weight over his shoulders was just too much to bear for a child. It broke her heart even more that the rest of the team accepted far too quickly that he had grown up, accepted too easily the illusion of his new body, forgot too soon how young he really was…

"You didn't tell mum, did you?" His voice wasn't much louder than a whisper; it sounded just like a little boy afraid of getting in trouble. It was too much for her to handle.

"No." Came her reply, as the hand that wasn't on his shoulder moved to her chest, in an attempt to calm her aching heart. "I know she's the reason you are pretending to be OK."

He turned around to look at her, his eyes shinning with stubborn tears that would not fall and when she couldn't stand the pain any longer, she wrapped him in a big hug, relieved that he melted into the embrace instead of pushing her away.

They sat there for what seemed like an eternity, her hands drawing soothing circles along his back until she felt him relax.

"Your dad was a hero. And he was so proud of you. We all are; I hope you know that." She said softly kissing the top of his head.

"I know" he replied, breaking the embrace to look at her. "I just wish we'd had more time to spend together. I thought I had the rest of my life to learn from him, to make up for the lost time, and now... he's gone." His eyes drifted back to the waterfall.

Nya sat on the rock next to him, arm wrapped around his shoulders as they both stared into nothing. She knew there was nothing she could say; she knew that nothing needed to be said, just being there was enough.

"You shouldn't waste time, you know?" he broke the silence, startling her.

"Uhm?" she gave him a puzzled look, eliciting a laugh.

"You know. I'm not the only one who sucks at hiding his feelings from his bff."

"I have zero idea what you are talking about" she deadpanned, although maybe she did have a little idea.

To this, Lloyd raised his arms in alarm and showed off a surprisingly good imitation of Nya.

"They took Jay! They took everyone!"

"Very funny, Lloyd" she added bitterly, rolling her eyes.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::;

"Not yet." The sound of Jay's voice brought her back to the present.

"No matter how much I think about it or how creative the wish, I can always see a loophole Nadakhan can use against me. I really have no clue what Lloyd meant by a wish from the heart..." he tried to appear casual as he munched on his chips, determined to keep her from worrying. He knew he was failing miserably.

"Maybe if we join forces?" she suggested nonchalantly. She knew him more that he gave her credit for and she could tell his casual exterior was only for her benefit. She shut down the part of her that wanted to wrap him in a tight hug and settled for sipping her soup instead.

"No offence, but you are not very good at this wishing business" laughed the Lightning boy, remembering how Nya wasted two wishes in a row on board the Misfortune's Keep.

"I didn't see anyone else doing any better!" she snarled.

"OK, let's see what you've got... what do think I should wish for?" he asked as he put a big handful of chips in his mouth.

She took her time to think , slowly sipping more soup from her spoon.

"How about you wish he releases the rest of the team and we can fight the pirates together?"

Jay leaned towards her, sitting up straight in the windowsill he used as a chair. Blue eyes narrowed for the shortest moment before the loudest chortle echoed through the lighthouse.

"Knowing Nadakhan, he'll return our friends in pieces, or turn them into our worse enemies... or Zombies, hehe, I bet Cole would enjoy that for a change..."

All thoughts about ghost zombies disappeared from his mind- actually all thoughts disappeared from his mind- when amethyst stared back at him, causing him to almost choke on his own saliva. Her gaze was so fierce, so determined, so... Nya.

"See? That's why we have to work together on this" she suddenly spoke, her confident smile shinning like the sun before her eyes returned to her soup bowl.

He released the breath he hadn't realised he was holding, trying to stop the unhelpful thoughts going through his head. He would not let her get hurt, no matter what. Nya continued to sip on her soup and he followed her lead and focused his attention on the pack of chips he was holding. There was something soothing in the crunch, it felt almost normal, like playing videogames with the gang, and it allowed him to pretend that his world wasn't crumbling, that all his friends hadn't been captured, that the love of his life wasn't in danger and that there wasn't anything he could realistically do to keep her safe.

So he munched on those chips like they were a lifeline.

"Ok, here's a crazy one" she said after a long silence. " what if we wish to resurrect the Devourer? Then we sic it on Nadakhan."

"No, uh-uh" He replied, tilting the bag of chips to let the last few pieces fall on his mouth.

"Can't do that either. Can't wish to do harm, can't wish for more wishes and you can't wish for… hehe…" he sighted and scratched the back of his head in a shy gesture. "...love. Which is how I got us into this mess. All due to just one little glimpse into the future showing us together…" another sight.

Jay was still unable to shake off the guilt. He was sure that if he had warned Kai and Zane instead of trying to hide his mistake, they would still be there. And, had he not tried to win Nya's affection through a wish- as Zane advised- he would have never gotten kidnapped by the pirates and Cole and Lloyd wouldn't have been lost either… he had just made a mess out of everything.

"Our friends, gone. Our world turned apart. Look at us!" he continued, his anxiety creeping in. "This is all my fault."

"Jay…" she whispered, signalling with her head for him to look behind her. She could hear Gizmo cleaning up the floor, but there was something else… someone else.

"I guess we really do end up together just not how I'd envisioned it." he added, still lost in his own misery, unaware of what she was trying to tell him.

"Stop!" Nya commanded.

"I know, I know. You don't want to hear it…" Jay replied, remembering with sadness the look on her face when he was about to kiss her earlier. He wasn't sure if he should apologise for that or if his casual joke had been enough and an apology would only make the situation worse... she seemed to be acting normal around him for the most part…

"No, I mean stop talking." she whispered loudly, before turning around and pointing at the source of the noise. " Did you hear that? I don't think we're alone." she aded, fear obvious in her voice. They were not ready for the pirates yet…

Jay refocused his attention on Gizmo and the obvious conversation he was having with someone else. But when him and Nya approached the stairs leading to the lower level, all they could see was a dark figure running away.

"We're not the only ones here!" cried the Water Ninja

"You mean I've been exposing my innermost feelings in front of a complete stranger? Ugh! I feel so violated!" Jay complained, folding his arms on his chest.

"They won't be a stranger after we get to know them! Hurry!" she exclaimed as she ran downstair behind the mysterious dark figure. Jay followed close behind.

As they got to the lower level they found everything the way they have left it. The Master of Lightning sighted, half frustrated and half relieved that it had been a false alarm.

"The door is barricaded. No one could have escaped. We've been locked up so long, I think you are starting to see things." he tried to comfort her by pretending that he hadn't heard anything, but when Gizmo came noisily down the stairs, he turned around in alarm.

Both ninja watched their robot friend pick up loose metal pieces from the ground, pieces they knew weren't there this morning during their training. Nya's eyes found a hidden lever on the wall.

"Like how I'm seeing there's a hidden basement in the lighthouse?" she asked, as she opened the secret door.

Gizmo led them down the ramp of what looked like a hidden lab. There were discarded metal pieces and blue prints, broken machinery and tools.

"Looks like a bunch of stuff from Zane's father's old lab." observed Nya, just before a loud noise startled them again. A nearby box had been knocked over, spilling it's contents on the floor.

"You're right, we're not alone." wailed Jay, as he unconsciously hid behind her, his anxiety taking over him.

Nya took two steps back from where the figure was hiding, before turning around to face the Blue Ninja.

"I thought you were supposed to protect me!" she said angrily.

"I thought you were over that!" he protested, though he wasn't proud of himself.

"Whoever you are, come out!" called Nya, the stress of not knowing what they were facing was much worse than whatever battle was to come.

But when the mysterious figure came out from hiding, Jay and Nya were greeted by a very familiar face…

"I am Zane. I am built to protect those who cannot protect themselves" said a robot that looked very much like a rusted version of the Titanium Ninja, obviously built with spare parts from the lighthouse.

"Zane?" asked Jay with a smile. As bittersweet as it was, it was refreshing to know that at least a part of their friend was here with them, that they were not in this alone. He felt a huge weight lift off his shoulders.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Nice to meet you Zane" The blue ninja wasted no time to introduce himself as he helped the robot up. "I am Jay and this is my team mate Nya."

"Greetings"

"We are sorry we invaded your home, we thought the Lighthouse was deserted." added Nya, shaking Zane's hand.

"It's OK. I want people to think it is deserted. Gizmo said that fathers' visitors were usually not the nice kind..." replied the robot with a smile so similar to their friend's that it was both painful and reassuring.

Echo Zane- as the ninja decided to call him- had lived his whole life alone at the lighthouse. When his creator escaped, the robot was still not operational, just a collection of spare parts. It was Gizmo, with his ability to put things back where they belonged, who had put his friend together and got it working. This Zane never knew his creator- or any other human for that matter- but he and Gizmo enjoyed their peaceful life in the island.

To Jay's and Nya's delight, he shared their team mate's humour and charisma- albeit not his intelligence- and he was a joy to be around, an oasis of happiness in a dessert of solitude.

"Tell me about the original Zane" he asked, curious.

"He is a lot like you" smiled Nya.

"Although when we first found him, his humour switch was off and he was sooo weird..." added Jay.

"He's a great cook, and a great friend and sometimes he surprises us by being more human than many people we know." she continued.

"Yes, he would sacrifice himself to save those he cares about..." said the blue ninja, thinking about that time when Zane faced the overlord alone and almost died to save them.

"Much like you..." the words escaped Nya's lips and she found herself blushing.

"Yeah, except that he is smart and he would have never made a mess of everything like I did." replied Jay, sad eyes fixed on the wood table, unaware of the expression on her face.

A small, soft hand found his.

"He tricked Master Wu. He tricked Misako. I think you need to give yourself some credit, Jay. We'll get our friends back, I know we will." her velvety voice reddened his cheeks.

"Friends? How many of you are there?" asked Echo Zane, curious, and just like his brother, oblivious to the _moment_ his new friends were just having.

"Well, there's my brother Kai." she started, thinking that getting her blue boy to chat will cheer him up. "He's the master of Fire. And like fire he is impulsive. He's confident and he never gives up." She looked at the other ninja, hoping he would have a remark about Kai being a stubborn pain in the butt, but his eyes were still fixed on the wood.

"Then there's Lloyd, he's training to be a Master one day... he's really wise for his age, and the most powerful of all of us." her eyes trailed to Jay again, but he was still avoiding her gaze. She gave the hand she was still holding a little squeeze and he returned the gesture with a shy smile.

"And there's Cole, Master of Earth, former team leader and Jay's best friend."

"Best friend? What does that mean?" asked Echo Zane, curious.

"It means we have a lot in common and spend plenty of time together." replied the master of lightning finally looking up to be rewarded with his favourite dimpled smile.

"How do one become someone's best friend?" asked the robot again, trying to use this unique opportunity to learn about human interaction.

"Haha, for me and Cole, we fought a lot at first. Remember I said we like the same things? We were rivals." replied the Blue Ninja who try as he might couldn't keep his eyes from the girl sitting next to him. The robot, of course, completely missed the gesture. But she didn't.

Nya's heart sunk. The stupid invisible dagger coming back with a vengeance.

"And then we understood each other. We apologised, made amendments..." continued the Lightning Master, remembering fondly the conversation they had when they faced each other in the Tournament of Elements, right before Cole handed him the the Jade Blade, sacrificing himself for his friend. "And we became inseparable."

:::::::::::

Jay sighted. He really needed to stop pinning over this girl. Volunteering to get wood for a fire was probably his dumbest idea yet, and now he was cold and lost and his injured leg was absolutely killing him. And of course, by now, Cole has probably found a more effective way to keep her warm... and he had to be a good friend and be ok with that. He's her perfect match, not Jay. And bad as it is, the only thing worse than loosing Nya was loosing Cole's friendship at the same time. He had to find a way to burry his feelings... besides, it's not like she's her soulmate or something, surely he just feels this way because she was his first girlfriend. He will meet someone else and forget about Nya, right?

Before he could answer, his body went into fight mode. He felt a presence around him, the twitch of a leaf, muffled steps approaching. Great, just great!

He studied his surroundings, he knew he wasn't as fast with an injured leg and he couldn't let the enemy surprise him. Because he doubted it was just a baby deer pouncing around Chen's Island. He wanted to kick himself in the bum for assuming that just because the elemental masters had taken over the island, all the danger was over. But it was ok, really. Maybe kicking some arse would make him feel better now.

The Lightning Ninja closed his eyes and with a swift movement turned around, strands of lightning flying straight to the enemy he had yet to see.

"Hey! Careful with that! You're gonna hurt somebody!"

"Cole?"

"In the flesh" came his friend's reply.

"What are you doing here? You almost gave me a heart attack! I could've hurt you!" Jay panted, slightly crouched, a hand holding his abdomen and the other pointing at the charred, smoking tree to Cole's left. The black ninja shrugged.

"Do you really think that because you had one good shot you can hurt me? You bighead." He said smugly, but his expression softened as he approached his friend. "When you didn't come back, I figured you were lost. You do know camp is that way, right?" Cole turned around, his finger pointing in the opposite direction to Jay's travels.

"Well..." Frowning, the blue ninja started his retort but his friend cut him off.

"I also thought it would be a good chance to talk."

The blue boy gaped at his friend. He didn't think the Master of Earth was the talking type and honestly his action had already spoken volumes.

"There's nothing to talk about." He managed to say. "We are brothers. But... thank you... the Jade Blade, you didn't have to. Lloyd needed all the help he could get and it was logical that the strongest remained."

"Oh, I had to! I owed you a monumental one! And the strongest amongst us remained, Jay. The one with the bigger heart, the one with his loyalties straight..." the black ninja looked at the ground for the smallest second before turning his gaze back to his friend with the widest smile. "Besides, it worked out OK. I may be a good dancer but I can't skate to save my life!"

Their chortles travelled through the Forrest. They both knew the joke wasn't that good, but their laughter was contagious, it was just so good to be normal again, to have their friend back.

"In all seriousness, Bro..." Cole finally said, holding his side as the chuckles started to die. "I'm really, really sorry. I messed up, big time. I shouldn't have gone behind your back, I ruined what you and Nya had..."

Jay shook his head.

"Who's the bighead now? I'll let you know that I ruined what I had with Nya all by myself, thank you very much. To be honest there was trouble in paradise way before you came along." He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Just make sure she's happy."

"Oh, no way! I told you, I'm stepping down. I like Nya, a lot, but I don't have feelings for her, not yet. And I won't make you go through that again. You're my best friend."

"You don't have too, I'll be fine..." Said the blue ninja before laughing to himself. "Is it weird that I missed you almost as much as I missed her?"

"It's only weird if you keep wearing make up." The black ninja chuckled.

"I was on T.V.!"

"You learned to put it on yourself, you princess!" Cole added, ruffling Jay's red-brown hair.

And their banter hadn't stopped since then.

::::::::::

AN: sorry I was so late... life. And writer's block. I will finish this fic. We probably have one chapter to go and I hope this one was worth the wait. Thanks for the reviews, they really pushed me to write this.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi again,**

 **No idea where this came from, it is not the final chapter but it is short and sweet and it felt like it should end right there. I saw the snippet from season 10 and the plot bunnies started jumping again, so here you have it. Happy birthday in advance! :)**

 **The next and last chapter is still coming- maybe not as fast as this update.**

 **Cheers to all.**

 **(I just corrected a few mistakes and I forgot to tell you I was listening to 'To Make you feel my Love by Adele)**

 **Believe out ;)**

::::::::::::::::::

Zane's funeral had been the hardest day of her life. The pain was so different to anything she had never felt before, like her very soul was being torn apart. But the worse part was the hopelessness, that certainty hovering over her that nothing will ever be the same again, that _she_ would never be the same again.

They always launched themselves into these adventures, always assuming that good will win, that if they were together nothing like this would ever happen because they had each other backs. With the White Ninja being a Nindroid, she unconsciously expected him to be around forever and now that he was gone, it was like reality had shattered, like everything they held true had slipped through their fingers.

Nya had lost loved ones in the past, her parents, but she had been so young, barely a toddler, that she really didn't have any memories of them other than Kai's stories, and missing them was just a concept in her head, not a real emptiness in her heart. But missing the Master of Ice was a completely different story.

Cole tried to be there for her during the service, constantly asking if she was Ok, his hand at the small of her back as they walked around to thank people for coming... yet she was longing for familiar arms to hold on to, needing that feeling of being home, of being safe, so she chose to bury her nose on Kai's red Gi instead. Whenever she looked up, her eyes searched for blue against her will, but for better or for worse every time she found him he was looking away from her.

It was the end of the service when the eyes she was searching for finally met hers, but they weren't the familiar bright blue she knew so well; they were somewhat smaller, sunken, hidden beneath dark circles and sorrow. And they pulled her to him like a magnet. She left the safety of her brother's shoulder as her feet carried her on their own accord towards Jay, but as she got closer, she stoped dead on her tracks just two steps in front of him, held back by an invisible wall. There was nothing she wanted more that to wrap her arms around his neck but she just couldn't bring herself to do it, not after all that had happened between them.

"Yeah, I got the contract but haven't had time to read it... yeah, the funeral was today... thank you." the lightning master was on the phone, his voice monotonous and lifeless. He had been trying to avoid her gaze the entire time, but had allowed himself to be distracted by the call. "I'm sure if Fritz Donnegan is one of the producers it would be great... I'll send it to you in the morning..." his eyes grew wider when he saw her walking towards him. "I... gotta go." he added before disconnecting the call and shoving his phone in his pocket.

"Nya" he said to her, his dull eyes coming back to life with emotion. His lips attempted a failed smile.

"Jay..." her voice sounded more broken than she intended. "I am _so_ sorry!"

He pulled her into a hug and for the shortest moment, she felt him nozzle on his favourite spot, where her soft neck met her freckled shoulder, filling some of the emptiness in her heart. But all too soon, he let her go, taking a step back.

"I'm sorry, too, but Zane would want us to be strong. See you around." and with that he walked away from her and hoped into his parents car as all three Walkers waved goodbye. The next time she saw him was only on the TV.

Little did he know Zane wasn't the only reason she was sorry.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Jay" she barely breathed. "Are you still awake?"

The lightning bolt's lips curled into a smile. He was a young man sharing a bedroom with the most gorgeous girl he'd ever seen- who he also loved with all his heart- and she kept using that stupid shampoo that frankly, should be illegal. So none could blame him for spending a few minutes fantasising about running his hand through the thick strands of silky hair, so smooth and straight that they would splash all over his hand like a waterfall. And if, in his reverie, he was kissing her senseless at the same time- he definitely wasn't - it wouldn't even be his fault with all the mixed signals she'd been giving him- he might be gentleman but he wasn't a Nindroid. Besides, it was either Nya or Scrap n' Tap. He was sure his teammate would understand.

"I am now" his voice sounded louder than he intended in the peaceful silence of the night. She didn't speak straight away, Jay's smile growing wider as he waited in anticipation for whatever it was she had to say.

"I'm sorry" her soft voice came after a few seconds, barely louder than a whisper.

Jay chuckled.

"It's OK if you finished the last packet of Ninja Chips, Nya. I ate most of them anyway."

"No, Jay. I am sorry."

The solemnity of her voice caused the boy's heart to run cold. _No. No. Just no._ Three years ago he would have given anything to hear her say those words, but now they were not needed, they were only bringing to the surface feelings he had buried long ago, feelings he didn't need right now, not with all that weight over his shoulders. This was a conversation he certainly didn't want to have. Not now, not ever.

"What I did, I… I should have apologised before but I couldn't even face you after what happened. I'm a horrible, horrible person, Jay! I don't even know why you are still here risking yourself for me." the last word got caught on her throat.

 _Because you are my world,_ he though. "No, you are not horrible. That's why I'm still here. Let's go back to bed Nya, you don't have to do this. It's Ok, I promise." he managed to say, his brain screaming to get out of there as all the pain, all the insecurities, all the memories of his days on the Misfortune's Keep and all his most horrible nightmares tangled together in his mind.

"I was miserable. And I couldn't bring myself to let you go. I was a coward. And you deserved so much better." she continued, her sad eyes trained on his.

Jay found himself sitting up, the hand not holding hers cupping her soft, pale cheek. The mixture of hurt and anxiety on his chest and the pained look on her face were almost unbearable. He wasn't really comforting her, he was holding on to her for dear life, she was his only anchor to the present.

"Nya, it really is fine. You were young and I made mistakes too, I know that I tried too hard... I can't believe I'm saying this but I should've listened to Kai. Who knew that he would be genuinely trying to help, right?" He pushed all his feelings aside to smile at her even though he knew she could feel the hand on her cheek trembling. But instead of his usual dimpled reward, she just looked away from him. Staring into his blue eyes was like staring at the sun, and she was already trying hard not to cry in front of him.

"I never said it, but I should have... I did love you, Jay." she forced herself to look back at him as she said it. "I…" _I still love you-_ she didn't dare to say.

"I know…" he spoke into her hair, voice thick with all the emotions going through his heart. He wasn't sure when exactly he moved down to her futon, or when he wrapped his arms around her small frame, but he was pleasantly surprised to feel her cheek buried on his chest as she melted into his embrace.

"I'm so horrible that now you are comforting me" she sniffled on his shoulder.

"I'm comforting you because that was partly my fault too. And Cole's. You are not horrible and it's not fair for you to take all the blame when I was the one who put you in that situation on the first place..."

"You didn't run into my best friends' arms behind my back!"

He bit his bottom lip. He tried not to do it, he really did. The logical part of his brain knew it wasn't the right time but his emotions were all over the place and it was really hard to control himself when every fibre of his being was screaming to erase the pain from her face.

"We'll, that would be Lloyd and it would have been wrong in so many levels…"

"Jay! That is not even funny!" she complained and he could almost hear the eye roll in her voice. She lifted her head off his chest to punch his shoulder and he was relieved when her hair brushed his chin once more as she melted into his arms again. He did accomplish his objective as a very small smile curved her lips.

The lightning boy laughed softly and held her tighter. The water girl found herself drowning in the smell of him, in the familiar feeling of being exactly where she was meant to be, on the softness of his chest rising and falling with every soft, lulling laugh.

 **:::::::::::::::::::::::::::**

Jay's head felt heavy. An inner voice kept telling him to wake up, but his stubborn eyelids refused to obey him. The little voice kept getting louder and louder. ' _Jay, wake up. Jay'_ And then it hit him, the little voice in his head wasn't his own, it was Nya's. Nya needed him. He forced his eyes to open and he regretted it as soon as the light hit him.

He was obviously back at the Misfortune's Keep, his biggest fear right in front of him: Nya, standing next to Nadakhan and wearing a white wedding dress.

"Right on time for the wedding" came Dogshank's deep voice, pulling at the chains tying his arms behind his back.

"Perrfect." said Nadakhan with a sickening smile. "Now Clancy, where were we?"

"Ny- ny- Nya, do you take Nadakhan to be y-y-your husband?"

As soon as the snake finished his sentence, Flintlock pointed his weapon at the blue ninja's head, the sound of the safety lock being released echoing through the room, causing Nya to turn around and look at him, a determined look on her face.

"Jay..."

"Nya, don't do this! Please." the lightning boy begged, but she just turned towards Nadakhan.

"Do I have your word that you would let him go?"

"Nya, no! You can't! Please don't do it! I meant it! I'd die for you, I really..."

Jay couldn't finish that sentence as Dogshank grabbed him by the neck and pushed him against the wall. Hard. Darned vengestone.

"You have my word, my love." the Djinn said with fake innocence.

"Very well..." she swallowed hard. "I do."

"Then I pronounce you: husband and wife." declared Clancy.

Nadakhan smiled, taking a deep breath. Judging by the sickening expression on his face, he knew he was all powerful. He grabbed Nya by the arm and pulled her towards him with more roughness than was necessary, before laughing to himself.

"My new wife and I will spend some time together, now." the Djinn's voice was deeper and more evil than ever before. "Dogshank, please see our guest to the door."

 _Oh, no._ Not happening. The Blue Ninja wasn't going down without a fight. And that disgusting Djinn would have to hurt Nya over his dead body. Jay took a deep breath to gather strength... flowers? Nya...

::::::::::::::::::::::

The familiar smell brought him back from his dream. The first thing his body registered was the comfortable weight on his right shoulder and as he came to his senses he became aware of the black morning hair splashed over his neck, tickling his chin. Nya's soft hand was on his chest, wrapped tight around his singlet. His own hand was wrapped around her waist, the tip of it gracing her abdomen. Their legs were tangled together. They must have fallen asleep on her futon last night and even his wildest dreams never came close to this, but the fresh memory of his nightmare left him with a bittersweet feeling: he was so close to getting everything he ever wanted and so close to loosing it.

There were no two ways about it, though. He couldn't move a centimeter without waking her; and whether he woke her now or in a few minutes she would still be equally mad at him. So he dug his chin back in the raven silk, drinking in the smell of the ridiculous shampoo, and closed his eyes. Against all odds he fell asleep once more; but the wedding in this new dream was quite different from the one on his previous nightmare.


	9. Chapter 9

**Lol I was reading this fic to try and get in the mood to finish it. An I forgot momentarily that it was my own fic and I was like "nooo. Don't stop now!"**

 **anyways, this was already written, I think I like it. It's like half the last chapter but better than nothing.**

 **i got a new job, my dream job. 4 years of hard work finally paid off. I'm happy but I'm also very busy. So I may not be able to finish this one anytime soon, at least until the Xmas holidays. In case I never do, you know what happens next, they bond a little with echo Zane and the pirates come. I wasn't planning another romantic scene between Jay and Nya, just a retell of the fight with the pirates from their point of view, specially that moment when Anya sacrifices herself for him.**

 **thanks for your support and for putting up with my very late updates.**

—-

As the first rays of sunshine touched her eyes, Nya contemplated whether to wake up or sleep in. On the one hand, she knew she was well rested- best sleep she'd had in years if she was honest- but on the other hand, her pillow was so soft and warm, almost as if it was designed specially for her. As she though this, she pulled it even closer, her head sinking in further increasing her comfort and drawing a pleasant smile on her face; it didn't hurt that it smelled like her lightning bolt, either. She couldn't remember when, but they must have swapped their pillows at some point, it was the only logical explanation...

The sound of birds chirping outside the window brought back her awareness of her surroundings: Jay's soft breathing, the waves crashing against the shore, her hand softly moving up and down with every breath of her pillow... wait. What?!

She froze for a moment, not daring to open her eyes. Her hand shyly ran through the 'pillow' and to her dismay all her fears were confirmed: instead of soft material, she found strong, well defined muscles- and she had been running her hand through them for the last way too many seconds!- She pulled her hand of him in a swift movement, as if his skin was burning hers even though the only thing on fire were her cheeks.

 _No. No. No! What did I do?!_ Her brain frantically revisited the events from the night before: she apologised, they hugged... and that was it. She sighted relieved. Not that it would have been horrible if something _had_ happened, whenever she caught herself thinking about it - only once or twice really, certainly not more than three times- horrible wouldn't be the word she would use to describe it at all - more like magical or wonderful, or amazing at the very least- but she had promised herself to never hurt him again and she wasn't ready to start a relationship with him just yet, let alone _that kind_ of relationship. Besides, knowing Jay he would start choosing flowers for their wedding...

Nya found herself shaking her head to clear it from the stupid fantasies that were menacing to creep into her mind. And that's when she realised her head was still on his shoulder, causing her to jump onto the bed in a scared cat like fashion and waking up her sleep companion.

"Nya? What...?" his brain was trying to make sense of it all as he took in a terrified Nya sitting on his bed. Was there danger? Were the pirates near?

"Nothing happened!" she said a little too loud and too fast.

"I know" he smiled realising she was just panicking because of their sleeping arrangement, relieved that there was no danger... well, except for the furious Water Ninja staring daggers at him.

"You know? You know?!" she yelped, the fire in her eyes reminding the blue ninja that this was indeed Kai's sister in front of him. "So I take it that you saw me fall asleep on you and you didn't say anything?!"

Darn, she knew him well.

"Well, technically" he tried to hold his ground and show her no weakness. He was not apologising for innocent contact that he didn't initiate and that they obviously both enjoyed. "I had another nightmare and didn't want to wake you in the middle of the night... and..." he looked at his hands, his resort faltering for the shortest time under her fierce gaze. But he pressed on, there was so much he wanted, needed to tell her and when he looked back at her, it was with an intensity that wasn't there before. He was so close and it was definitely now or never "Nya... I just..."

She wanted to yell and glare and maybe punch him in the stomach just a little for being way out of line. But when her furious eyes met his heart on his electric gaze all her rage dissolved. Darned, her whole body dissolved.

 _Oh no._ He was making _that_ face. The same face he always made when he was about to say something so sweet, so romantically dorky, so Jay, that she would inevitably loose control over her own body and jump back on that futon with him.

She had never been a heartless monster. She had tried, she really had tried to end thing with him three years ago. Practically cheating on him with his best friend had hardly been her first choice. But every time she tried to tell him he would look at her like _that_. And she could never help but melting into his embrace, into all the sweet promises she knew very well he intended to keep. It was too easy to momentarily forget how unhappy she really was when they were together.

She tried to focus her attention on her stomach, hoping for her all to familiar fear to come to her rescue, but she found her mind blinded by electric blue and she couldn't really remember where her stomach was, not that it mattered anyway, it had probably melted along with the rest of her body.

"Nya..." He rasped nervously. Only he could make nerves sound so appealing. "Do you smell that?"

And sure enough, the smell touched her nose: a mixture of trash and burnt coal and... blueberries?

"Yes!" she squeaked in relief before heading towards he door as if she had seen a ghost. Saved by the bell was an understatement.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The ninja found the source of the smell in the kitchen, where a flour covered robot was burning what looked like gruel to very charred crisp.

Nya took a moment to take it all in: the splashes of batter on the walls, the blueberry footprints adorning the floor, Gizmo's useless attempts to control the mess.

"Good morning, friends" greeted Echo Zane with a proud smile.

"What happened" Jay managed to gape.

"Yesterday you indicated that my brother Zane has remarkable cooking skills, so I figured I could treat my new friends to a delicious breakfast. Gizmo here showed me his recollection of the food you cooked yesterday and I have replicated it for you."

The Blue Ninja had to suppress a laugh.

 **AN: I know I used the same joke twice, I apologise. But girls have hormones too and her character is all about equality so I felt it fits.**


End file.
